Chinese account for the largest number of foreign nationals in Japan. More people are going to Japan | Foreign nationals in Japan | “Run” | Moistening out of China

[The Epoch Times, November 06, 2023](Comprehensive report by reporters from the Epoch Times Special Topics Department) As China’s political and economic environment becomes increasingly bad, more Chinese people have begun to go overseas to “run” (the pronunciation of the English word run) , and the number of Chinese people coming to Japan is also increasing. According to statistics, there are currently 780,000 Chinese in Japan, accounting for 24.5% of foreign nationals in Japan, of which 250,000 live in Tokyo.

According to the latest statistics released by the Immigration and Residence Service of the Ministry of Justice on October 13, as of the end of June 2023, the total number of foreigners in Japan was 3,223,858, an increase of more than 140,000 (an increase of 4.8%) from last year. A record high. Among them, Chinese accounted for the highest proportion, with 788,495 people, accounting for 24.5% of the total number of foreigners in Japan, a year-on-year increase of 3.5%, an increase of 26,932 people over last year, and an increase compared with 2013 ten years ago. 150,000 people.

The second largest number of foreigners in Japan is Vietnamese, with more than 520,000 people; the third is Koreans, with more than 410,000 people; Taiwan ranks tenth, with more than 60,000 people.

Among the residence statuses of foreigners in Japan, there are more than 880,000 “permanent residents” (permanent residence), more than 350,000 “technical internship” visa holders, and more than 340,000 “technical, humanistic knowledge, international labor” visa holders. There are more than 300,000 “study abroad” visa holders and more than 280,000 “special permanent residents”. In addition, there are other types of visas such as “Operation and Management”, which are smaller in number.

The five cities and counties with the most foreign residents are Tokyo, Aichi Prefecture, Osaka Prefecture, Kanagawa Prefecture and Saitama Prefecture.

More and more people are leaving China to “run”

Due to the outbreak of the epidemic in China in recent years, real estate boom, intensified financial risks, and soaring unemployment rate, more and more Chinese people are looking for various ways to “money” abroad, study and make a living overseas.

A boss who is familiar with the situation in China and runs a real estate company in Tokyo said that the Chinese people feel uneasy and frustrated. Their lives may be disrupted at any time, and they may even be arrested, so some people decide to leave. He also said that to apply for a business visa, you must have a physical office. Since more and more people are traveling out of China, all the offices in his hands are rented out.

Japan has been deeply influenced by Chinese culture in history, and it still retains many of China’s excellent traditional culture and moral concepts. In addition, Japanese people are relatively friendly and easy-going, so Chinese people have almost no cultural shock or sense of disobedience when living in Japan. In addition, Japan has a good natural and social environment, is very safe, has rich food culture, and is not very expensive, making it very suitable for Chinese people to live and live there.

Tokyo—the favorite place to live among Chinese people

According to the latest census data released by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government on October 1, there are nearly 630,000 foreigners living in Tokyo, of which 251,322 are Chinese, accounting for nearly 40%.

Tokyo, together with its surrounding Kanagawa, Saitama and Chiba prefectures, is called one city and three prefectures. It is the capital area with Tokyo as the center. Compared with Tokyo, the real estate prices in the three prefectures are significantly cheaper. Many Chinese working in Tokyo live in the three prefectures. They especially like to buy houses in Kawaguchi City, Saitama Prefecture, which is very close to Tokyo. The number of Chinese in Kawaguchi City is increasing. 14.8%.

In the past five years, the growth rate of Tokyo’s 23 wards has been higher, among which the growth rate of Chuo, Chiyoda, Bunkyo and other wards has exceeded 50%, becoming the favorite of Chinese people. Koto Ward has the largest number of residents (18,225 people), followed by Shinjuku Ward, Adachi Ward, and Edogawa Ward. These areas have a common feature, that is, there are many shops selling Chinese ingredients and Chinese restaurants, and the transportation is convenient. Once there are more Chinese people, a contact network and cultural circle are formed, making it easy for Chinese people to live here.

In recent years, wealthy Chinese who immigrated to Japan mostly choose Minato District in Tokyo. This area is lined with skyscrapers, has convenient transportation, and has a relaxing environment. Embassies of many countries are stationed here, as well as international schools, high-end shopping malls, etc. It has a high-end population. As a result, real estate prices in the area have skyrocketed. The newly “moistened” general wealthy class mostly choose to live in Chuo and Koto wards.

Due to the large base of Chinese people in Japan, their jobs cover almost all industries, from civil servants, university professors, researchers, engineers, company supervisors, company employees, to technicians and manual labor; the industries they engage in include manufacturing, commerce, Education, consulting, agriculture, fishery, catering, tourism, accommodation and service industries, etc.

Affected by years of low birthrate, Japan has a serious shortage of human resources. To maintain Japan’s current economic size and further develop the economy, various talents and labor are needed. In order to make up for the shortage of domestic manpower, Japan, a non-immigration country, has relaxed the approval conditions for visas to Japan and is recruiting foreign employees by accepting foreign personnel with special skills and engaging in skills training in Japan.

Against this background, the value of foreign talents has also increased. Some industries that originally had to employ locals have seen an increasing demand for hiring foreigners because they cannot recruit suitable Japanese. As a result, the average salary of foreign technical interns has risen to 1.4 times what it was 10 years ago, narrowing the gap with Japanese young people. Technical intern trainees have a special status, and in general and normal occupations, there is no difference in wages and welfare benefits between foreigners and Japanese, and they are all equal.

In recent years, as the demand for talents in computer-related fields such as artificial intelligence (AI) in Japan has increased, the number of professionals from China has also continued to increase and has demonstrated an increasingly strong presence. In addition, some Chinese entrepreneurs have chosen Japan as a place to operate their start-ups because although the markets in China and the United States are large, competition is fierce and the probability of success for start-ups is very low.

Most Chinese in Japan can integrate into Japanese society, and their work abilities are also well received. However, due to the long-term destruction of traditional culture, the words and deeds of the Chinese who have lost their universal values ​​are often difficult for the Japanese to accept. In this regard, the Japanese regard this as the biggest problem for the Chinese.

In addition, Japan is known as a safe country, but it is also known as a paradise for spies. In particular, the theft of intellectual property rights and various confidential activities are rampant, which has caused concern and worry in Japanese society. Article 7 of Chapter 1 of the Chinese Communist Party’s National Intelligence Law (implemented on April 27, 2018) stipulates that Chinese citizens should support, assist and cooperate with national intelligence work in accordance with the law, and provide them with protection. This has aroused the vigilance of relevant Japanese agencies that some Chinese may be forced to become spies. This is also a potential problem faced by Chinese in Japan.

Editor in charge: Lian Shuhua#