The Justice Ministry has reported that the preliminary number of registered foreign residents in Japan was 2,078,480 as of the end of 2011, down 55,671 from the previous year.
This was the third straight year of decline since the number of foreigners peaked at the end of 2008, the ministry said Wednesday. A ministry official said the latest decrease could be attributed to the Great East Japan Earthquake and the crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.
The three prefectures hit hardest by the quake saw particularly large drops: 15.5 percent in Iwate, 13.2 percent in Miyagi and 15.1 percent in Fukushima. (Yomiuri)
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