Filipinos in Japan (
Japanese: 在日フィリピン人, Zainichi Firipinjin,
Filipino: Mga Pilipino sa Hapon) formed a population of 322,046 in December 2023 individuals, making them
Japan's fourth-largest foreign community, according to the statistics of the Philippines.[2] Their population reached as high as 245,518 in 1998, but fell to 144,871 individuals in 2000 before beginning to recover slightly when Japan cracked down on
human trafficking. In 2006,
Japanese/
Filipino marriages were the most frequent of all
international marriages in Japan.[3] As of 2016, the Filipino population in Japan was 237,103 according to the
Ministry of Justice.[4] Filipinos in Japan formed a population of 325,000 individuals at year-end 2020, making them
Japan's third-largest foreign community along with
Vietnamese, according to the statistics of the Philippine Global National Inquirer and the
Ministry of Justice.[5][6] In December 2021, the number of Filipinos in Japan was estimated at 276,615.[7]
According to figures published by the
Central Bank of the Philippines, overseas Filipino workers in Japan remitted more than US$1 billion between 1990 and 1999; one newspaper described the contributions of overseas workers as a "major source of life support for the
Philippines' ailing
economy."[8][9] Though most Filipinos in Japan are short-term residents, the history of their community extends back further; during the
Japanese occupation of the Philippines, some Filipino students studied in
Japanese universities.[10]
Media
There is a magazine called Kumusta! (クムスタ). Junta Shimozawa publishes and edits the Japanese portion and his spouse Hermie edits the Tagalog version. In 1996 it had a weekly circulation of 30,000, and its website was to appear in March of that month.[11]
Notable people
Entertainment
Leah Dizon, American-born singer, model and television personality
^平成19年末現在における外国人登録者統計について [About the statistics of registered foreigners as of the end of 2007] (PDF) (in Japanese). Japan: Japanese Ministry of Justice. June 2008. Archived from
the original(PDF) on 24 June 2008.