Japanese people

Japanese people
日本人
Total population
c. 125 million
Regions with significant populations
Japan 119.9 million[1]
Significant Japanese diaspora in:
Brazil2,700,000[2] (2023)
United States1,586,652[3] (2020)
Peru203,130[4] (2023)
Canada129,425[5] (2021)
Philippines120,000[6][7]
Australia104,141[8] (2024)note
China97,538[8] (2024)note
Mexico88,985[9] (2024)
Argentina75,528[10] (2024)
Thailand70,421[8] (2024)note
United Kingdom64,066[8] (2024)note
Germany43,513[8] (2024)note
South Korea43,064[8] (2024)note
France37,056[8] (2024)note
Singapore32,565[8] (2024)note
Taiwan21,696[8] (2024)note
New Zealand20,318[8] (2024)note
Malaysia20,025[8] (2024)note
Micronesia20,000[2] (2023)
Other countries
(fewer than 20,000)
Vietnam17,410[8] (2024)note
Indonesia14,720[11]note
Bolivia14,000[12]
Netherlands10,460[13]
Spain8,720[14]
India8,398[15]
Paraguay7,000[16]
Macau4,200[17]
Austria3,500[18]
Uruguay3,456[19]note
Cambodia3,363[20]note
Ireland3,122[21]
Colombia3,000[22]note
Languages
Japanese
Religion
Primarily, in a traditional/cultural context, a mix of Shinto and Buddhism; minorities ascribe to Christianity and other religions[23][24][25]
Related ethnic groups
Ainu · Ryukyuan · Yamato

^ Note: For this country, only the number of residents with Japanese nationality is shown, since the number of naturalized Japanese people and their descendants is unknown.

Japanese people (Japanese: 日本人, Hepburn: Nihonjin; IPA: [ɲihoɲdʑiꜜɴ]) are an East Asian ethnic group native to the Japanese archipelago.[26][27] Japanese people constitute 97.1% of the population of the country of Japan.[1] Worldwide, approximately 125 million people are of Japanese descent, making them one of the largest ethnic groups. Approximately 119.9 million Japanese people are residents of Japan,[1] and there are approximately five million members of the Japanese diaspora, known as Nikkeijin (日系人).[2]

In some contexts, the term "Japanese people" might be used to refer specifically to the Yamato people, who are primarily from the historically principal islands of Honshu, Kyushu and Shikoku and constitute by far the largest group. In other contexts, the term could include other groups native to the Japanese archipelago, including Ryukyuan people, who share connections with the Yamato but are often regarded as distinct, and Ainu people.[28] In recent decades, there has also been an increase in the number of people with both Japanese and non-Japanese roots, including those who are half Japanese.

  1. ^ a b c "Population Estimates by Age (Five-Year Groups) and Sex". stat.go.jp. Statistics Bureau of Japan. Retrieved August 29, 2025.
  2. ^ a b c "海外日系人数推計" [Estimated Number of Nikkeijin Living Abroad] (PDF). Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan (in Japanese). October 1, 2023. Retrieved August 29, 2025.
  3. ^ "2020: DEC Detailed Demographic and Housing Characteristics File A". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 3, 2025.
  4. ^ "Japan-Peru Relations (Basic Data)". Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan. Retrieved August 26, 2025.
  5. ^ "Ethnic or cultural origin by gender and age: Canada, provinces and territories". Statistics Canada. October 26, 2022. Archived from the original on April 4, 2023. Retrieved May 22, 2023.
  6. ^ Agnote, Dario (October 11, 2006). "A glimmer of hope for castoffs". The Japan Times. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved August 9, 2016.
  7. ^ Ohno, Shun (2006). "The Intermarried issei and mestizo nisei in the Philippines". In Adachi, Nobuko (ed.). Japanese diasporas: Unsung pasts, conflicting presents, and uncertain futures. Routledge. p. 97. ISBN 978-1-135-98723-7. Archived from the original on September 28, 2023. Retrieved August 10, 2016.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l 海外在留邦人数調査統計 [Annual Report of Statistics on Japanese Nationals Overseas] (PDF). Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan (in Japanese). October 1, 2024. Retrieved August 26, 2025.
  9. ^ "Japan-Mexico Relations". Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan. Archived from the original on June 3, 2021. Retrieved May 22, 2023.
  10. ^ "Japan-Argentina Relations (Basic Data)". Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan. Retrieved August 25, 2025.
  11. ^ "インドネシア基礎データ | 外務省". 外務省.
  12. ^ "ボリビア基礎データ | 外務省". 外務省.
  13. ^ "Japan-Netherlands Relations (Basic Data)". mofa.go.jp.
  14. ^ "Japanese culture celebrated in Barcelona". catalannews.com. May 31, 2018.
  15. ^ "海外在留邦人数調査統計(平成28年要約版)" [Annual Report of Statistics on Japanese Nationals Overseas (Heisei 28 Summary Edition)] (PDF) (in Japanese). October 1, 2015. p. 30. Retrieved November 10, 2016.
  16. ^ "Japan-Paraguay Relations". Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan.
  17. ^ "Macau Population Census". Census Bureau of Macau. May 2012. Retrieved July 22, 2016.
  18. ^ "Japan and Austria – 150 years of friendship". society.at. June 29, 2020.
  19. ^ "ウルグアイ基礎データ | 外務省". 外務省.
  20. ^ "Japan-Cambodia Relations (Basic Data)". Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Japan). Archived from the original on November 18, 2023. Retrieved November 19, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  21. ^ "Japan-Ireland Relations (Overview)". mofa.go.jp.
  22. ^ "コロンビア基礎データ | 外務省". 外務省.
  23. ^ "2022 Report on International Religious Freedom: Japan". United States Department of State. Archived from the original on May 21, 2023. Retrieved May 22, 2023.
  24. ^ "Shinto, Buddhism and the Japanese belief system". Inside Japan Tours. Archived from the original on June 18, 2023. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
  25. ^ "The six countries in the world with the most 'convinced atheists'". The Independent. Archived from the original on March 23, 2016. Retrieved March 23, 2016.
  26. ^ "Japan - People". Encyclopædia Britannica. Archived from the original on July 17, 2019. Retrieved July 29, 2016.
  27. ^ "Japan. B. Ethnic Groups". Encarta. Archived from the original on January 22, 2008.
  28. ^ Minahan, James B. (2014), Ethnic Groups of North, East, and Central Asia: An Encyclopedia, ABC-CLIO, pp. 231–233, ISBN 978-1-61069-018-8, archived from the original on January 23, 2023, retrieved January 30, 2019