In 2001, the number of foreign nationals who newly entered Japan, which had been rising until 2000, decreased by 27,146 (0.6%) to 4,229,257 as a result of the September 11 terrorist attacks in the U.S.A.
  In terms of nationality, persons who came from Asia accounted for more than 60%, followed by North America, and Europe, of the total number of foreign nationals who newly entered Japan in 2001. More specifically, the number of persons who came from Korea was the highest, numbering 1,005,451 persons (23.8% of the total), followed by 777,673 persons (18.4%) from Taiwan, 628,731 (14.9%) from the U.S., and 225,357 (5.3%) from China (excluding Taiwan and Hong Kong).
  Regarding the percent distribution of foreign nationals who newly entered Japan in 2001 by resident status, "temporary visitor" for sightseeing, etc., to which almost all foreign nationals belonged, accounted for 91.7%, followed by "entertainer", (2.8%), "trainee" (1.4%), "long term resident" (0.7%), "spouse or child of Japanese National" (0.6%), "pre-college student" (0.6%), and "college student" (0.6%), etc.
  As of January 1,2002, the number of foreign nationals who are illegally staying in Japan (estimated figure) was 224,067, a decrease of 8,054 (3.5%) from the previous year. This figure has been decreasing since May 1, 1993 when the number reached a record high of 298,646 (Source: Immigration Bureau).