A record 1,851,758 foreigners were registered with Japanese immigration authorities as of Dec. 31, a 4.1 percent increase from the record high logged the year before.
According to a report compiled by the Justice Ministry's Immigration Bureau, the number of foreign nationals here on student visas came to 110,415, achieving for the first time the goal of 100,000 set by the government in 1983.
The number of registered foreigners is equivalent to 1.45 percent of the nation's total population as of Oct. 1.
While the nation's overall population grew 2.3 percent in the past decade, the number of registered foreigners grew 44.5 percent in the same period.
The registered foreign residents hail from 183 countries and territories, with Koreans comprising 33.8 percent, followed by Chinese at 22.9 percent, Brazilians at 14.5 percent, Filipinos at 9.1 percent, Peruvians at 2.8 percent and Americans at 2.6 percent.
By region, Tokyo accommodates the largest concentration of foreign residents, accounting for 18.1 percent. The capital is followed by Osaka, Aichi, Kanagawa and Hyogo prefectures.