White paper on crime 2012 Part4/Chapter1/Section1/1
The number of foreign nationals that newly entered Japan in 2011 was 5,448,019, with the significant decrease of 2,471,707 (31.2%) from the previous year. By nationality, etc., the largest number was 1,505,228 (27.6%) from the Republic of Korea, followed by 958,783 (17.6%) from Taiwan, 721,990 (13.3%) from China (excluding Taiwan and Hong Kong; hereinafter the same in this section), and 511,743 (9.4%) from the U.S.A. By region, the largest number came from other parts of Asia, accounting for 75.1%, followed by North America, Europe, Oceania, South America, and Africa, in that order. By status of residence, “Temporary Visitor” for sightseeing, etc. accounted for the highest proportion at 95.1%, followed by “Trainee” at 1.2%, “College Student” at 0.9%, and “Entertainer” at 0.5% (Source: The Immigration Bureau, Ministry of Justice).
The number of persons with alien registrations at the end of each year was increasing every year, reaching the record high level of 2,217,426 at the end of 2008, but then slightly decreased for two consecutive years and significantly decreased by the end of March 2011, which was immediately after the Great East Japan Earthquake. As of the end of 2011 it was 2,078,508 (down 2.6% from the end of the previous year) (Source: The Immigration Bureau, Ministry of Justice). The alien registration system was abolished on July 9, 2012 and a new alien residency management system, including issuance of resident cards, etc., commenced.