Foreign residents and public assistance in Japan

This study investigates the relationship between Japan's growing foreign resident population and public assistance outcomes. Using national-level data from 2012 to 2022, the analysis confirms that although eligible foreign residents have a higher public assistance usage rate than Japanese citizens, their overall fiscal impact is likely minimal. When prefecture-level data is analyzed, the share of noneligible foreign residents—who account for the majority of recent population growth—has no statistically significant association with public assistance expenditures or the number of recipients, suggesting that the overall increase in the foreign population is not straining Japan's welfare system.