KUALA LUMPUR - The number of foreign nationals apprehended in Japan totaled 56,706 over the five years from 2021 to 2025, down about 40% from the peak of 93,899 recorded in 2001 to 2005, it was learned on February 28.

According to Kyodo News, an analysis of National Police Agency crime statistics showed that arrests fell by half in 14 prefectures, including those in the Tohoku and Koshinetsu regions.

During the same period, the number of foreign residents in Japan nearly doubled from 2.01 million to 3.95 million, indicating that the proportion of foreign nationals involved in crime has declined.

Kyodo compiled arrest figures for Penal Code offenses and special law violations across all prefectures over a 25-year period.

Penal Code offenses, such as murder, robbery, theft, and assault, are directly linked to public safety, while special law violations involve breaches of laws outside the Penal Code, including immigration, drug control, and firearms regulations.

The analysis excluded permanent residents and compared five-year aggregate totals.

Arrest numbers declined in 40 prefectures.

Nagano recorded the steepest drop at 73.2%, falling from 1,679 cases to 450. Tokushima, Ehime, Wakayama, and Fukushima also posted significant declines.

In terms of absolute numbers, arrests fell by 22,344 in Tokyo, 3,358 in Kanagawa, and 2,241 in Shizuoka. Some areas, including Ibaraki, saw increases.

In recent years, however, exclusionary narratives linking the rise in foreign residents to worsening public safety have spread on social media.

The issue also surfaced during the House of Representatives election held in February, where foreign national policy became one of the campaign issues. 

Some candidates’ social media posts drew controversy over whether they constituted hate speech.

Claims that increases in foreign residents are leading to deteriorating public safety have repeatedly been questioned as inconsistent with official statistics.