2026年5月22日 / 最終更新日時 : 2026年5月22日 Daisuike Tominaga Living in Japan / Practical Guide

Why Are Foreign Residents Satisfied with Life in Japan? A Comparison of Living Conditions, Safety, Wages, Prices, and Immigration Rules

Foreign residents in Japan / International comparison

Why Are Foreign Residents Satisfied with Life in Japan?

A data-based comparison of Japan’s living conditions, safety, wages, prices, work culture, social integration, and immigration rules.

日本語版: 在留外国人はなぜ日本に満足しているのか

Many foreign residents evaluate life in Japan positively. This is encouraging for Japanese society. However, a high level of satisfaction does not automatically mean that there are no challenges in employment, wages, housing, social integration, or immigration procedures.

Japan’s strengths are clear: safety, cleanliness, public transport, stable infrastructure, and predictable daily life. Its challenges are also clear: relatively low wages, rising living costs, work culture, discrimination, and the predictability of long-term immigration status. This article compares Japan with Korea, Germany, the United States, Canada, and Australia.

1. High satisfaction does not mean there are no problems

Our previous article discussed the high level of life satisfaction among foreign residents in Japan. The result suggests that many foreign residents appreciate Japan’s living environment.

However, “satisfaction with life in Japan” should be interpreted carefully. It does not necessarily mean satisfaction with wages, career prospects, workplace culture, or long-term residence planning.

Key points

Japan is often highly evaluated for safety, cleanliness, transport, and daily convenience.
Common concerns include prices, low wages, discrimination, work culture, and immigration procedures.
Japan may be a comfortable country to live in, but it still needs improvement to remain competitive as a destination for international talent.

2. Life satisfaction: Japan’s national score is below the OECD average

According to the OECD Better Life Index, people in Japan rate their general life satisfaction at 6.1 out of 10, lower than the OECD average of 6.7. This does not contradict the high satisfaction reported by many foreign residents in Japan.

Rather, it suggests that Japan offers stability and daily convenience, but broader issues such as income, future security, social connections, and work-life balance still affect overall well-being.

Item	Japan	Comparison	Interpretation
OECD life satisfaction	6.1 / 10	OECD average: 6.7 / 10	Japan’s national subjective well-being is below the OECD average.
Korea	—	5.8 / 10	Korea also scores below the OECD average.
United States	—	7.0 / 10	The United States scores higher than Japan, partly supported by income indicators.

3. Safety: One of Japan’s strongest advantages

Safety is one of Japan’s clearest advantages. According to the OECD Better Life Index, 77% of people in Japan say they feel safe walking alone at night, compared with the OECD average of 74%. Japan’s homicide rate is 0.2 per 100,000 people, far below the OECD average of 2.6.

Country	Feeling safe walking alone at night	Homicide rate per 100,000	Assessment
Japan	77%	0.2	Very safe by international standards.
Korea	82%	0.8	Also highly safe.
United States	78%	6.0	Subjective safety is high, but homicide rate is much higher.
OECD average	74%	2.6	Japan is clearly safer than the average.

For foreign residents with families, safety is a major factor. Commuting, children’s schooling, night-time movement, and daily use of public transport all make Japan’s safety a powerful advantage.

4. Housing and living environment: Stable, clean, but not always cheap

Japan’s living environment is supported by cleanliness, public transport, healthcare, administrative services, and everyday convenience. These factors make daily life predictable and comfortable.

However, housing costs are not negligible. According to the OECD Better Life Index, households in Japan spend 22% of their gross adjusted disposable income on housing, above the OECD average of 20%.

Item	Japan	OECD average	Interpretation
Housing cost burden	22%	20%	Japan is slightly more expensive than the OECD average.
Rooms per person	1.9	1.7	Housing space is above the OECD average.
Satisfaction with water quality	87%	84%	Basic living infrastructure is well evaluated.

Japan can be described as a country where daily life is comfortable, but saving money is not always easy. This is especially true in large urban areas such as Tokyo, Osaka, Aichi, Kanagawa, and Saitama.

5. Wages: Japan’s biggest weakness in international comparison

When it comes to attracting international talent, wages are a major challenge for Japan. OECD average annual wage data shows that Japan is slightly below Korea and far below Germany, Canada, Australia, and the United States.

Diverse coworkers discussing a project in a modern office — Wages, workplace conditions, and career development strongly influence whether foreign professionals choose Japan.

Country	Average annual wages in 2024 USD, PPP converted	Difference from Japan	Practical meaning
Japan	49,446	—	Strong living environment, weak wage competitiveness.
Korea	50,947	+1,501	Japan no longer has a clear wage advantage in East Asia.
Germany	69,433	+19,987	A strong comparison point for skilled professionals.
Canada	69,417	+19,971	Attractive for long-term immigration planning.
Australia	70,736	+21,290	High wages are a major advantage.
United States	82,933	+33,487	Japan is far behind in income opportunities.

Japan is safe and convenient, but foreign workers who want to develop their professional skills, support their families, send money home, or build assets may find Japan less attractive than higher-wage destinations.

6. Prices: Inflation is lower than many OECD countries, but wage stagnation matters

According to the OECD, cumulative headline inflation from December 2019 to October 2024 reached 30.2% across the OECD. Japan was one of the countries where cumulative inflation was below 10%.

However, this does not mean that prices are not a problem in Japan. Because wages have grown slowly for many years, even moderate price increases can put pressure on households.

Why prices matter for foreign residents

Rent, food, utilities, and transport costs directly affect disposable income.
A weaker yen may reduce the real value of remittances to family members overseas.
Family residence increases the burden of housing, education, and healthcare costs.
Some foreign residents may feel that Japan is safe but not as financially rewarding as expected.

7. Working hours: The data and workplace experience may differ

OECD data for 2024 shows that annual hours worked in Japan were 1,617, lower than the OECD average of 1,736. The United States recorded 1,796, Korea 1,865, Canada 1,697, and Australia 1,627.

Country	Annual hours worked in 2024	Interpretation
Germany	1,331	Very short working hours.
Japan	1,617	Below the OECD average.
Australia	1,627	Close to Japan.
Canada	1,697	Longer than Japan.
United States	1,796	Longer than Japan.
Korea	1,865	Longer working hours in East Asia.
OECD average	1,736	—

Still, foreign residents may experience workplace stress in Japan. This is because annual working hours do not capture everything: difficulty taking paid leave, implicit pressure to work overtime, unclear instructions, hierarchical communication, after-work expectations, and limited support for foreign employees can all affect workplace satisfaction.

8. Social integration: Japan is still at an early stage compared with immigration countries

The OECD International Migration Outlook 2025 reports that more than 160 million people living in OECD countries were foreign-born in 2024, and that the foreign-born share increased from 9.1% in 2014 to 11.5%.

By contrast, the OECD country note for Japan states that Japan’s foreign population in 2024 was 2.7% of the population. Japan’s foreign resident population is growing, but its share is still low compared with countries such as Canada, Australia, and Germany.

Multiethnic colleagues working together in an office — As the number of foreign residents increases, multicultural support in workplaces, local communities, and administrative procedures becomes more important.

Country / Region	Foreign-born or foreign population share	Meaning
OECD total	Foreign-born: 11.5%	Migration is a major part of social structure.
Japan	Foreign population: 2.7%	Japan’s foreign resident share remains relatively low.
Japan at the end of 2025	4,125,395 foreign residents	Japan exceeded 4 million foreign residents for the first time.

Japan is not yet a mature immigration society in the same sense as Canada or Australia. It is a country where foreign residents are rapidly increasing, while institutions, workplaces, and local communities are still adapting.

9. Immigration rules: Japan is expanding acceptance and tightening procedures at the same time

Japan’s foreign resident population reached 4,125,395 at the end of 2025, exceeding 4 million for the first time. The number of foreign residents is increasing across various statuses of residence, including Permanent Resident, Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services, Student, Technical Intern Training, and Specified Skilled Worker.

At the same time, Japan is strengthening immigration control and reviewing several systems, including permanent residence, business manager status, and residence procedures. This may be necessary to maintain the credibility of the immigration system, but it also increases the need for accurate legal and administrative information.

What Japan needs to remain attractive

Clear requirements for each status of residence.
Predictable procedures for renewal, change of status, family residence, and permanent residence.
Better compliance support for employers hiring foreign workers.
Accurate multilingual information and accessible consultation channels.

10. Conclusion: Japan is comfortable, but must become more competitive

Japan is safe, clean, and comfortable. Its public transport, healthcare, administrative services, and daily convenience make it an attractive place to live.

However, wages, prices, work culture, discrimination, and the predictability of immigration rules remain important challenges. Compared with Canada, Australia, Germany, and the United States, Japan may be seen as a safe place to live but not necessarily the best place to earn, build a career, or plan long-term residence.

To remain a country chosen by foreign residents and international talent, Japan needs not only immigration control, but also better employment management, life support, multilingual information, and professional immigration assistance.

Need help with Japanese immigration procedures?

Tommy’s Legal Service supports applications for status of residence, foreign employment, registered support organization services, permanent residence, family residence, and business manager visa matters.

When rules or examination trends change, it is important to review your individual situation, required documents, risks, and application strategy carefully.