The number of Japanese residents living in China for business, study, and other purposes continues to decrease as incidents involving Japanese nationals detained on espionage charges and violent crimes targeting Japanese citizens persist.
According to Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Japanese expatriate population in China (those residing for three months or longer, as of October) totaled 97,538 in 2024, down 4,248 from the previous year. This marks the first time in twenty years that the figure has fallen below 100,000.
China had maintained its position as the second-largest destination for Japanese overseas residents since 2003, trailing only the United States. However, in 2024, Australia surpassed China, pushing it to third place.
The Japanese population in China had grown steadily during China’s rapid economic development, particularly around the 2008 Beijing Olympics and 2010 Shanghai World Expo, as Japanese companies accelerated their expansion into the market. The expatriate population peaked at over 150,000 in 2012 before beginning a continuous decline. That same year, large-scale anti-Japanese protests erupted across China, severely damaging bilateral relations and halting personnel exchanges.
Beijing, where an Astellas Pharma employee was recently convicted on espionage charges, saw its Japanese population drop to 4,914 in 2024—falling below 5,000 for the first time since 2000. This figure is now lower than Japanese populations in Taipei, Manila, and Hanoi. Between 2005 and 2012, over 10,000 Japanese residents lived in Beijing.
Previously, information gathering through exchanges with central government agencies and major corporations concentrated in the capital was highly valued. However, with frequent detentions of Japanese nationals on espionage suspicions, stationed personnel have become cautious, fearing that “exchanges might be interpreted as espionage activities.” This has made Japanese companies increasingly hesitant about employee assignments.
Shanghai, which had the largest Japanese population among Chinese cities with over 50,000 residents in the 2010s, recorded 34,681 Japanese residents in 2024, a decrease of more than 2,000 from the previous year. The decline is also attributed to Japanese companies increasingly pursuing “localization” strategies by hiring Chinese staff locally to reduce costs.
Source: Kyodo News, July 17, 2025
https://china.kyodonews.net/news/2025/07/89646ac11964–10.html