The number of foreign workers in Japan hit a record high of more than 1.65 million last year, partly because more people came to the country as technical trainees.
Japan's labor ministry compiled the statistics based on data from employers.
The ministry says that the number of foreigners working in Japan stood at 1,658,804 as of the end of last October. That's up about 190,000, or 13 percent, from a year earlier.
By nationality, Chinese workers topped the list at about 418,000. Vietnamese people came second at 401,000, followed by Philippine nationals at 179,000.
Of the foreign workers, 531,000 people were of Japanese descent or spouses of Japanese nationals. About 383,000 workers were technical trainees.
Out of these categories, the number of foreign technical trainees showed the largest increase, up 24 percent from a year earlier.
NHK
