Japan's foreign worker population hits record 2.57 million

TOKYO - The number of foreign workers in Japan reached a new high of over 2.57 million as of the end of last October, government data showed Friday, shattering the record for the 13th consecutive year, as the nation deals with a labor crunch.

The total of 2,571,037 marks an 11.7 percent rise from the previous year, with Vietnamese workers accounting for the largest proportion.