In 2024, the number of babies born in the foreign population rose to a record of more than 22,000—The Guardian writes.
This trend helps offset the steep decline in births among Japanese citizens and is fueled by a record-high foreign resident population of approximately 3.77 million, 56% of whom are in their 20s and 30s. The foreign newborns now account for 3.2% of all births in Japan.
Japan is experiencing a baby boom among its foreign population, with 22,878 babies born to foreign parents in 2024, an increase of 50% from a decade ago —that’s about 3,000 more than the previous year.
The record number of children born to women from China, Brazil, the Philippines and Vietnam was a reminder of the failure of successive governments to persuade Japanese couples to have bigger families.
Births among Japanese parents stood at 686,000 babies, 41,000 fewer than in 2023, according to the data, released in the same week as figures showing that Japan’s foreign population is edging towards 4 million. Still a dwarf minority from a whopping 124 million homogenous population, but the trends would have been unimaginable ten years ago.
Japan is No Longer a Modern-Day “Sakoku” Nation
The foreign-born people concentration is still higher in large metropolitan/pre-industrial areas (e.g., Tokyo, Osaka, Aichi), but non-Japanese faces are no longer a novelty in depopulated rural regions either. Immigrants work in convenience stores, restaurants and factories, on building sites and in agriculture and fishing.
Japan is facing one of the world’s most rapid population-aging trends and a falling birth rate. That means fewer young Japanese workers and labor shortages, especially in sectors like services, manufacturing, construction, and care work.
To fill these gaps, Japan has gradually opened more pathways for foreign workers (technical interns, specified skilled workers) and foreign students.
The national debate over migration started with the response to recent elections in which Sanseito, a minor party of the right, dramatically strengthened its presence in the upper house after vowing to put “Japanese first”. Sanseito now has 15 seats in a 248-seat chamber.
The relatively new Sanseito Party gained influence during the Covid-19 pandemic, they emerged as a force opposing public health measures like PCR testing, mandatory masks, and vaccination. Later they developed the idea of a “silent invasion” by foreigners, who arrived in Japan to buy infrastructure and disrespects the culture.
Previous descriptions of Japan as a modern-day sakoku nation of self-imposed isolation, whose leaders refuse to lower the drawbridge to all but a few foreign workers, is clearly out of date.
