'Just like in China' -- Chinatowns proliferate across Japan

The presence of Chinese migrants in Japan is more prominent than ever before. With the relaxation of visa requirements, migration from China has expanded, offering opportunities not only to the wealthy but also to the middle class. By 2026, the number of Chinese residents in Japan is expected to exceed 1 million.

This increase in Chinese migration is transforming the landscapes, lifestyles, education systems, and cultural traditions of many Japanese cities. It is serving as a catalyst for change, bringing new energy and dynamism to a traditionally static Japan. This series of reports delves into this trend, which has significant implications for the nation's future. It explores the balance of benefits and challenges while providing a nuanced understanding of its impact.

TOKYO -- Neighborhoods across Tokyo and beyond are emerging where Chinese migrants can reside without needing to speak Japanese.

One such area is located next to Ikebukuro Station.

Ikebukuro is one of Tokyo's major centers, and the area northwest of the station has become a "New Chinatown," featuring numerous restaurants that offer authentic Chinese cuisine as well as shops selling Chinese products and mobile phone stores catering to the Chinese community.

"I usually do my shopping at the Chinese supermarket near the north exit of Ikebukuro," said Tang, 35, a Tokyo resident who works at a publishing company and asked that his full name not be used. "There are also many Chinese-run restaurants in Ikebukuro that serve familiar food." He moved to Japan three years ago but speaks only a little Japanese.

"Even so, I've never felt inconvenienced at all," Tang said with a smile. "You can easily find Chinese people who can assist with everything from locating a place to live to signing up for a smartphone contract or applying for a driver's license, all on your smartphone."

Most of his friends and others in his social circle are Chinese. "Today in Japan, you can do everything from socializing to shopping while remaining in the 'Chinese economic zone,' making it quite convenient."

As of June 2024, approximately 240,000 Chinese nationals, accounting for 30% of all Chinese residents in Japan, reside in Tokyo's 23 central wards. They are particularly concentrated in Ikebukuro, as well as Takadanobaba and Shin-Okubo, which are located between Ikebukuro and Shinjuku.

However, the "economic zone" where Chinese individuals support one another is no longer confined to central Tokyo, and has now expanded into a "ring" that stretches into the suburbs.

On a late December in Kawaguchi in Saitama prefecture, north of Tokyo, cheerful cries of, "Baa!" (papa) and, "Maa!" (mama) echo around the plaza of a large housing complex.

Kawaguchi Shibazono Danchi is managed by Urban Renaissance Agency (UR), a semi-governmental institution that develops rental housing. The complex has 2,454 units, about half of which are occupied by Chinese residents.

The shops around the plaza are all Chinese-operated. There are restaurants catering to Chinese customers, grocery stores with Chinese price tags, Chinese-owned drugstores, and nursery schools for Chinese children.

"This place feels just like a housing complex in China," said Zhang Min, a 32-year-old resident working for a trading company in Tokyo. "I really like it."

Zhang is from Fujian province. Three years ago, he heard stories about the place on Chinese social media and, with help from a friend, decided to move. Now, he happily lives with his wife and two daughters in the housing complex.

Wang Youkun, a 39-year-old man who works at a grocery store in the housing complex, smiled as he said, "I've forgotten all the Japanese I learned at university, but now two-thirds of my customers are Chinese, so I don't need to worry anymore." Originally from Shenyang in Liaoning province, he moved to Japan in 2019 with the help of a friend. Although he initially had difficulty with the Japanese language, now that there are more and more Chinese people, "it's not necessary," he noted.

The massive Kawaguchi Shibazono Danchi was built in 1978, at a time of rapid economic growth in Japan. However, the nearby elementary and middle schools that opened when the housing complex was completed have closed due to the declining birthrate. Many Chinese people have arrived in place of the decreasing population.

"All the Japanese are senior citizens," said 86-year-old Tetsuya Mashimo, with a hint of loneliness in his voice. He is the head of the local residents' association and has lived in the housing complex since it was first built. "This place has completely become a Chinese housing complex."

There are already some Chinese "graduates" of the Kawaguchi Shibazono Danchi.

Liu Baocai, 44, is an engineer at an IT company. He lived in the housing complex for five years, until 2020, when he and his family left in search of a more comfortable living situation. They "bought a house in the same city," he said, adding that "there are more and more Chinese people like that now."

This movement to single-family homes instead of large rental complexes is a sign that more Chinese people are choosing to settle in Japan and put down roots. "I'll be able to get permanent residency soon," Liu said.

Approximately 25,000 Chinese residents currently live in Kawaguchi. Excluding Japan's major cities, such as Yokohama, this is the largest concentration of Chinese people in the country. Additionally, about 5,800 Chinese individuals reside in the neighboring city of Warabi, thanks to its easy access to Tokyo and the affordable cost of living. Chinese people represent 8% of the city's population, the highest percentage of any municipality in Japan.

Mihama ward in the city of Chiba is about the same distance to central Tokyo as Kawaguchi.

"About 80% of our customers are Chinese," said the owner of a shop in Mihama that sells pre-made Chinese food. Originally from Heilongjiang province in northern China, she has lived in the area for about seven years.

She speaks as if it's no surprise, which is not surprising at all. The nearby area hosts major housing complexes such as Takasu Daiichi Danchi, with 4,689 units, and Chiba Saiwai-cho Danchi, with 4,287 units. UR manages both, and many Chinese residents live there.

"No key money." "No agency fees." "No renewal fees." "No guarantor required." 

Many Chinese people are attracted to Mihama by these kinds of appeals from UR.

Like Kawaguchi, Mihama has seen a significant increase in its Chinese resident population, which now stands at approximately 5,700. Research by Nikkei revealed that the percentage of foreign residents in the ward's total population has grown to 4%, making it one of the highest concentrations in Japan.

Even at the national level, the presence of Chinese people has become increasingly more common. A Nikkei investigation found that Chinese individuals now inhabit 1,603 of Japan's 1,741 cities, wards, towns and villages, which is 92%. There are 128 municipalities with Chinese populations of 1,001 or more, predominantly in the Tokyo metropolitan area.

However, when these numbers are broken down by the degree of concentration, many Chinese people reside in rural areas that have distinct characteristics.

In the village of Shimukappu, in central Hokkaido, 5% of the total population of 1,600 are Chinese. Many of them are wealthy individuals who have moved there to enjoy the local ski resort.

The village of Sarufutsu, in northern Hokkaido, was certified as a "special zone for accepting foreign trainees" in 2004, leading to an increase in the number of foreign technical trainees learning scallop processing. Currently, Chinese individuals make up 3.4% of the village's population.

There are also many Chinese technical trainees in the village of Tobishima, in Aichi prefecture, which sits on a corner of Nagoya Port and hosts a cluster of businesses. The same applies to Kawakami in Nagano, the largest producer of lettuce in Japan. These trainees increase the percentage of Chinese residents in these villages.

There are now 840,000 Chinese residents in Japan. Notably, the number of Chinese individuals with permanent residency who have lived in Japan for a long time has increased. There are now over 330,000 such individuals, significantly more than the permanent residents from other nationalities. This number has grown by about 100,000 in the eight years since 2016, and that growth shows no signs of slowing down.