KUALA LUMPUR - A Japan based service company, Renxa Inc. providing lifestyle support and business outsourcing services, conducted a survey of services that foreign residents in Japan perceive as necessary for living in the country. 

The online survey was conducted in October 2025 among 504 foreign residents living in Japan and examined what services they perceive as necessary for daily life.

Across all visa categories, respondents cited housing searches and contracts, administrative procedures, and language barriers as the most common difficulties.

Infographic titled “Housing, Language, and Jobs: Top Needs for Foreign Residents in Japan,” based on an October 2025 survey of 504 foreign residents. It shows length of stay by visa type (short-, mid-, and long-term), with technical intern trainees and international students more likely to stay short-term, and business management visa holders more likely to stay long-term. Key support needs include housing assistance (61.2%), job and career support (45.5%), and education and childcare support. Common daily difficulties reported are housing-related issues, administrative procedures, and language barriers. Sources of support mainly come from friends, acquaintances, and workplace contacts, while major access barriers include complex procedures, language difficulties, and high costs.
Design: Migrant Times Team/ Cri Tanjoeng

When asked about their length of stay in Japan, the largest share of international students, regular workers, and technical intern trainees reported having lived in the country for between one and three years, accounting for 46.2%, 34.5%, and 51.1%, respectively. 

Among those on specified skilled worker and designated activities visas, the most common responses were three to five years were 42.6% and 47.4%.

In contrast, respondents on business management visas were more likely to have lived in Japan for over 10 years, at 37.5%.

In terms of support services needed to live in Japan, 61.2% of international students identified housing assistance as their top priority, while 45.5% of regular workers cited job and career support. 

Respondents in other visa categories showed higher demand for medical support.

Those on designated activities and business management visas also emphasized education and childcare support were 26.3% and 31.3%, respectively, reflecting longer-term settlement needs. 

Overall, support needs were concentrated in three areas: housing, language, and employment.

Regarding difficulties in daily life, 53.7% of international students cited problems related to mobile phone and internet contracts. 

Among regular workers, technical intern trainees, and specified skilled workers, institutional hurdles such as housing searches and contracts were 34.5%, 35.1%, and 38.9% and administrative procedures were 34.0%, 37.2%, and 29.6%.

These findings highlights challenges linked to system complexity and language barriers.

When asked whom they turn to for help, international students and regular workers most often relied on friends and acquaintances were 52.2% and 44.7%.

On the other hand, technical intern trainees and specified skilled workers primarily sought assistance from people at their workplaces were 45.7% and 42.6%. 

Across all visa categories, relatively few respondents said they relied on public support services.

At the same time, respondents pointed to common barriers to accessing support, including complex procedures, language difficulties, and high costs.

In particular, 55.6% of specified skilled workers said complicated procedures posed a major obstacle, underscoring difficulties in understanding systems and handling paperwork.

Nearly 90% of international students and around 80 to 90% of regular workers, technical intern trainees, and specified skilled workers said that the availability of daily life support affects their willingness to continue living in Japan.

More than half of international students, about 55.2%, said such support has a strong influence, indicating that the quality of support systems plays a decisive role in future settlement decisions.

The findings highlight both visa-specific challenges and shared barriers to accessing support, underscoring the importance of more accessible and inclusive systems in promoting long-term settlement and multicultural coexistence in Japan.