Filipinos in Japan

Filipinos in Japan
Total population
332,293 (in June, 2024)[1]
Regions with significant populations
Tokyo, Yokohama, Nagoya, Osaka
Languages
Filipino, English, Japanese,
other languages of the Philippines
Religion
Predominantly Christianity
Minority: Buddhism and Shinto

Filipinos in Japan (Japanese: 在日フィリピン人, Zainichi Firipinjin, Filipino: Mga Pilipino sa Hapon) formed a population of 332,293 in June 2024 individuals, making them Japan's fourth-largest foreign community, according to the statistics of the Philippines.[2] Their population reached as high as 245,518 in 1998, but fell to 144,871 individuals in 2000 before beginning to recover slightly when Japan cracked down on human trafficking. In 2006, Japanese/Filipino marriages were the most frequent of all international marriages in Japan.[3] As of 2016, the Filipino population in Japan was 237,103 according to the Ministry of Justice.[4] Filipinos in Japan formed a population of 325,000 individuals at year-end 2020, making them Japan's third-largest foreign community along with Vietnamese, according to the statistics of the Philippine Global National Inquirer and the Ministry of Justice.[5][6] In December 2021, the number of Filipinos in Japan was estimated at 276,615.[7]

According to figures published by the Central Bank of the Philippines, overseas Filipino workers in Japan remitted more than US$1 billion between 1990 and 1999; one newspaper described the contributions of overseas workers as a "major source of life support for the Philippines' ailing economy."[8][9] Though most Filipinos in Japan are short-term residents, the history of their community extends back further; during the Japanese occupation of the Philippines, some Filipino students studied in Japanese universities.[10]

  1. ^ 令和６年６月末現在における在留外国人数について
  2. ^ 令和６年６月末現在における在留外国人数について
  3. ^ Yoshida, Reiji (1 January 2008). "Inevitably, newcomers play growing role". The Japan Times. Japan. Retrieved 3 October 2017.
  4. ^ Catolico, Gianna Francesca (29 September 2016). "Filipinos 3rd-largest group in Japan—report". Inquirer.net. Retrieved 6 November 2017.
  5. ^ "2 Filipinos in Japan may be COVID-19 positive, says PH Embassy". April 2020.
  6. ^ 平成１９年末現在における外国人登録者統計について [About the statistics of registered foreigners as of the end of 2007] (PDF) (in Japanese). Japan: Japanese Ministry of Justice. June 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 June 2008.
  7. ^ "令和３年末現在における在留外国人数について | 出入国在留管理庁".
  8. ^ "Japan-Philippines Relations". Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Japan. July 2007. Retrieved 5 September 2007.
  9. ^ Rodriguez, Ronald (15 September 2001). "Why Filipinos in Japan Matter". Philippines Today. Archived from the original on 28 April 2007. Retrieved 4 April 2007.
  10. ^ de Asis, Leocadio (1979). From Bataan to Tokyo: Diary of a Filipino Student in Wartime Japan. University of Kansas.