Record 3.4 million foreign residents in Japan as work visas rise

The number of foreign nationals residing in Japan hit a record high of over 3.4 million in 2023, government data showed Friday, with employment-related visas seeing significant growth amid the country's efforts to address its acute labor shortage.As of the end of December, 3,410,992 foreigners resided in Japan, up 10.9 percent from the previous year to mark a record high for the second consecutive year, according to the Immigration Services Agency.The number of specified skilled workers jumped 59.2 percent to around 208,000, while trainees under Japan's technical internship program grew 24.…READ FULL ARTICLE