Japan
International migration to and from the country
Source: DESA
Countries, territories or areas in Asia and the Pacific by the number of migrants as a share of total population
With 2,770,996 international migrants, Japan ranked #8 destination in the Asia-Pacific region as of mid-2020, but ranked #20 when counting migrants as a percentage of its population.
Source: DESA
Demographics
Where migrants come from
When it comes to country of the origin, the majority - around 775 thousand - came from China.
Source: DESA
Where migrants go to
Central and North America and the Caribbean was the region of destination of the largest number of international migrants from Japan as of mid-2020. When it comes to country of destination, the majority - around 319 thousand - went to United States of America.
Source: DESA
What roles do age and sex play?
The share of male (48.6%) and female (51.4%) migrants in Japan was roughly balanced as of mid-2020. Migrants in the country aged 20-64 years old constituted 83.5%, while migrants aged 19 or below represented 11.1% of the total number of migrants.
Comparing migrant population with the country's population
Source: DESA
Remittances
Inflow and outflow of remittances in the country
In 2022, remittance flows to Japan amounted to USD 5 billion and outflow amounted to USD 4 billion .
Source: World Bank/KNOMAD
Comparison with other countries, territories or areas in the sub-region
Outflow
Inflow
Source: World Bank/KNOMAD
Type of migration
Who are refugees and asylum seekers?
An asylum seeker is “a person who seeks safety from persecution or serious harm in a country other than his or her own and awaits a decision on the application for refugee status under relevant international and national instruments. In case of a negative decision, the person must leave the country and may be expelled, as may any non-national in an irregular or unlawful situation, unless permission to stay is provided on humanitarian or other related grounds.”
A refugee is “a person who, owing to a well-founded fear of persecution for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinions, is outside the country of his nationality and is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country (Art. 1(A)(2), Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, Art. 1 A(2), 1951 as modified by the 1967 Protocol).”
Source: IOM
No data is available for refugees and asylum seekers in Japan.
Who are internally displaced persons (IDPs)?
Internally displaced persons (IDPs) refer to “persons or groups of persons who have been forced or obliged to flee or to leave their homes or places of habitual residence, in particular as a result of or in order to avoid the effects of armed conflict, situations of generalized violence, violations of human rights or natural or human-made disasters, and who have not crossed an internationally recognized State border”.
Source: IOM
Total number of internally displaced people A snapshot of all people living in internal displacement at the end of the year
Total number of internal displacements The number of forced movements of people within the borders of their country, territory or area recorded during a year. (Figures may include individuals who have been displaced more than once.)
Source: IDMC
Policy
How the country fares on SDG Indicator 10.7.2
What is SDG Indicator 10.7.2?
SDG Indicator SDG 10.7.2 measures the number of countries with migration policies that facilitate orderly, safe, regular and responsible migration and mobility of people. The indicator aims to describe the state of national migration policies and how such policies change over time.
The indicator is comprised of six policy domains, in line with the principles and objectives identified in IOM’s Migration Governance Framework. Each one of the six policy domains includes 5 sub-categories to capture key aspects of the range of migration policies at the national level, while allowing the indicator to detect relevant variations across countries and over time. Therefore, SDG Indicator 10.7.2 includes an overall of 30 sub-categories to measure the number of countries with migration policies.
Japan Meets the criteria for SDG Indicator 10.7.2
2 domains fully meet the criteria
 |
Mobility dimensions of crises |
 |
Safe, orderly and regular migration |
4 domains meet the criteria
 |
Migrant Rights |
 |
Whole government/ evidence based policies |
 |
Cooperation and partnerships |
 |
Socioeconomic wellbeing |
What do these categories mean?
Status of ratification of a core international human rights treaty or its optional protocol
Japan has ratified 10/18 treaties
Understanding Ratification
Ratification refers to the formal approval or acceptance of a decision, agreement, or action. The process follows three stages:
- No Action: State does not accede to a treaty, remain outside the legal obligations and benefits of the treaty.
- Signatory: State provides a preliminary endorsement of the instrument, and express interest in ratifying it later.
- State Party: State formally confirms its acceptance of the treaty and becomes legally bound by its terms and obligations.