Want to live and work in Japan?

Japan has around 125 million inhabitants, making it the 11th most populous country in the world. The vast majority live in urban areas concentrated in three major corridors: Greater Tokyo (37 million), Greater Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto (Kansai, around 20 million) and Nagoya (Chukyo, around 10 million). Hokkaido in the north and rural areas are losing population every year.

Aging is a central issue. More than 29% of the population is 65 or older, one of the highest shares in the world. The birth rate is low, and the government has policies trying to reverse the trend. Immigration began to increase from the 1990s onward, with the opening to Nikkei (descendants of Japanese emigrants) and more recently with visas for skilled workers.

The largest foreign communities come from China, South Korea, Vietnam, the Philippines and Latin America (through the Nikkei from Brazil and Peru). Industrial cities such as Hamamatsu (Shizuoka), Toyota (Aichi), Oizumi (Gunma) and Suzuka concentrate South American Nikkei. There are ethnic markets, community schools and media in various languages. Naturalization is still rarely pursued, with a high approval rate but low demand due to cultural factors.

Japan's labor market is undergoing a major transition. An aging population has created a labor shortage that is pushing the government to expand work visas. The automotive industry remains a pillar, with Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Mazda, Subaru, Suzuki and Mitsubishi leading exports. Toyota City, Hamamatsu, Hiroshima and Yokohama concentrate automakers and their suppliers.

Electronics and industrial machinery retain their weight, with Sony, Panasonic, Canon, Hitachi and Mitsubishi Electric. Industrial robotics is led by Fanuc, Yaskawa and Kawasaki Heavy Industries. Tokyo concentrates finance (Mitsubishi UFJ, Mizuho, Sumitomo Mitsui, Nomura), trading houses (Mitsubishi Corporation, Mitsui, Itochu) and technology (Rakuten, Mercari, SoftBank). Pop culture (Nintendo, Square Enix, Bandai Namco) is also a relevant export.

The minimum wage varies by region. Tokyo pays 1,113 yen per hour (approximately 1,500 dollars per month at full-time hours), while rural regions set lower floors. Qualified foreigners enter through the Engineer/Specialist in Humanities, Highly Skilled Professional or Specified Skilled Worker categories (for sectors with shortages). English helps in multinationals and tech companies, but Japanese is required for most roles.

Japan has mandatory universal health coverage. Residents with visas of more than 3 months must enroll in Kokumin Kenkou Hoken (National Health Insurance) or their employer's plan (Shakai Hoken). Contributions are income-based. For consultations and treatments, the insured pays 30% (with caps for costly cases). The rest is covered by insurance.

Quality of care is high. Public and private hospitals coexist at good standards throughout the country. Life expectancy is among the highest in the world. In industrial cities with a strong immigrant presence (Hamamatsu, Toyota, Suzuka, Oizumi), there are clinics and hospitals with multilingual staff or available interpreters.

The language barrier is the most challenging aspect for recent immigrants. Outside major cities and hospitals that cater to foreigners, finding doctors who speak fluent English can be difficult. Apps such as JapanHealthInfo and services from the AMDA Center offer multilingual support, and some regions have telephone translation lines integrated into the public system.

Japan has four well-defined seasons. Summer (June through August) is hot and humid across most of the country, with temperatures ranging from 28 to 35 degrees Celsius and high humidity. June brings prolonged rains (tsuyu), and late August through September can bring typhoons. Tokyo and Osaka are sweltering, though the public transit system is almost universally air-conditioned.

Autumn (September through November) is one of the most scenic seasons, with red and yellow foliage (koyo) covering the mountains. Winter (December through February) is cold. The north — Hokkaido and Tohoku — receives heavy snowfall, with well-known ski resorts such as Niseko and Hakuba. In Tokyo and Osaka, snow is rare and temperatures typically range from 2 to 10 degrees Celsius. The south — Kyushu and Okinawa — has mild winters.

Spring (March through May) is the most celebrated season, with cherry blossoms (sakura) blooming from late March to mid-April depending on the region. Hanami — picnicking beneath the cherry trees — is a widespread tradition. The social, academic, and corporate calendar begins in April, coinciding with the sakura season.

Japan is the third-largest economy in the world. The automotive industry is a pillar, with Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Mazda, Subaru, Mitsubishi and Suzuki selling globally. Toyota, headquartered in Toyota City (Aichi), is one of the largest companies on the planet. Electronics also carry weight (Sony, Panasonic, Sharp, Canon, Nikon, Fujifilm), though they have lost ground to South Korea and China in some segments.

Industrial machinery, robotics, semiconductors, materials science and pharmaceuticals are strong sectors. Tokyo is one of Asia's largest financial centers, with the Tokyo Stock Exchange among the world's biggest. Sumitomo, Mitsubishi UFJ, Mizuho and Nomura are banking giants. Trade is dominated by general trading houses (sogo shosha) such as Mitsubishi Corporation, Mitsui, Itochu and Sumitomo Corporation.

Pop culture is an important export: anime, manga, games (Nintendo, Sony PlayStation, Sega, Square Enix), music, fashion and cuisine. Tourism grew substantially before the pandemic (around 32 million visitors in 2019) and has been recovering. Industrial cities such as Hamamatsu, Toyota and Suzuka employ large contingents of South American and Southeast Asian immigrants in automakers and their suppliers.

Japan has historically been a closed country, but immigration has been growing over the past three decades. Chinese residents form the largest foreign community, with more than 800,000 people present in nearly every sector and every major city. Vietnamese have arrived in large numbers in recent years through the Specified Skilled Worker program, filling positions in manufacturing, agriculture and elderly care. South Koreans form both a long-established community (Zainichi) and a more recent one, mainly in Osaka, Tokyo and Kawasaki.

Filipinos arrived in two waves: spouses of Japanese nationals in the 1980s and 1990s, and workers in care, industry and services. The Nikkei (descendants of Japanese emigrants born outside Japan, mostly from Brazil and Peru) form a distinct community concentrated in industrial cities such as Hamamatsu (Shizuoka), Toyota (Aichi), Oizumi (Gunma) and Suzuka, all tied to automakers and suppliers. Nepalese and Indonesians are also growing in number.

Integration is challenging because of the language and social codes. Learning Japanese is practically mandatory for life outside foreign-resident neighborhoods. Permanent residency normally requires ten years of continuous residence, but the Highly Skilled Professional track shortens this to one to three years. Naturalization is possible but rarely pursued, given the heavy cultural and bureaucratic requirements.