The Ainu are an indigenous ethnic group who reside in northern Japan and southeastern Russia, including Hokkaido and the Tōhoku region of Honshu, as well as the land surrounding the Sea of Okhotsk, such as Sakhalin, the Kuril Islands, the Kamchatka Peninsula, and the Khabarovsk Krai. They have occupied these areas, known to them as "Ainu Mosir", since before the arrival of the modern Yamato and Russians. These regions are often referred to as Ezochi (蝦夷地) and its inhabitants as Emishi (蝦夷) in historical Japanese texts. Along with the Yamato and Ryukyu ethnic groups, the Ainu people are one of the primary historic ethnic groups of Japan.
The demographics of Japan include birth and death rates, age distribution, population density, ethnicity, education level, healthcare system of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations, and other aspects regarding the Japanese population. According to the United Nations, the population of Japan was roughly 126.4 million people, and peaked at 128.5 million people in 2010. It is the 6th-most populous country in Asia, and the 11th-most populous country in the world.
Japanese people are an East Asian ethnic group native to the Japanese archipelago. Japanese people constitute 97.4% of the population of the country of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 125 million people are of Japanese descent, making them one of the largest ethnic groups. Approximately 120.8 million Japanese people are residents of Japan, and there are approximately 4 million members of the Japanese diaspora, known as Nikkeijin (日系人).
Racism in Japan comprises negative attitudes and views on race or ethnicity which are held by various people and groups in Japan, and have been reflected in discriminatory laws, practices and action at various times in the history of Japan against racial or ethnic groups.
The Yamato people or the Wajin is a term to describe the ethnic group that comprises over 98% of the population of Japan. Genetic and anthropometric studies have shown that the Yamato people represent an ethnic assimilation of the Jomon people, who lived in the Japanese archipelago since early times, and the Yayoi people, who migrated to Japan from the continent. The Yamato people are part of the Jomon cultural area, along with the Ryukyu people, located in Okinawa, and the Ainu, found in Hokkaido.
Koreans in Japan are ethnic Koreans who immigrated to Japan before 1945 and are citizens or permanent residents of Japan, or who are descendants of those immigrants. They are a group distinct from South Korean nationals who have immigrated to Japan since the end of World War II and the division of Korea.
Hāfu is a Japanese language term used to refer to a person born in Japan with half Asian and half non-Asian ancestry. The word can also be used to describe anyone with mixed-racial ancestry in general. As many consider Japan to be one of the most homogeneous societies on the planet, children who have one non-Japanese citizen parent or one non-Asian parent are called hāfu Japanese and often face prejudice and discrimination from Japanese citizens. Hāfu individuals are well represented in Japanese media and abroad, and recent studies in the 2010s estimate that 1 in 30 children born in Japan are born to interracial couples.
Chuka-kei people, or Chinese people in Japan include any Japanese individuals self-identifying as ethnic Chinese or Chinese permanent residents of Japan living in Japan. People aged 22 or older cannot possess dual-citizenship in Japan, so Chinese possessing Japanese citizenship typically no longer possess Chinese citizenship. The term "Chinese people" typically refers to the Han Chinese, the main ethnic group living in China (PRC), Taiwan (ROC) and Singapore. Officially, China (PRC) is home to 55 additional ethnic minorities, including people such as Tibetans, though these people might not self-identify as Chinese. Han Chinese people have had a long history in Japan as a minority.
Americans in Japan are citizens of the United States residing in Japan. As of December 2023, there were 63,408 American citizens registered as foreign residents of Japan, forming 2.0% of the total population of registered aliens, according to statistics from Japan's Ministry of Justice. This made Americans the ninth-largest group of foreign residents in Japan, having been surpassed in number by Vietnamese residents, Nepalese residents, Indonesian residents, and Burmese residents since 2011.
Bangladeshis in Japan form one of the smaller populations of foreigners in Japan. As of in June 2023, Japan's Ministry of Justice recorded 24,940 Bangladeshi nationals among the total population of registered foreigners in Japan.
Pakistanis in Japan form the country's third-largest community of immigrants from a Muslim-majority country, trailing only the Indonesian community and Bangladeshi community. As of December 2023, official statistics showed 25,334 registered foreigners of Pakistani origin living in the country. There were a further estimated 3,414 illegal immigrants from Pakistan in Japan as of 2000. The average increase in the Pakistani population is about 2-3 persons per day.
There are in December 2023 49,114 Peruvians in Japan. The majority of them are descendants of earlier Japanese immigrants to Peru who have repatriated to Japan.
Nepalis in Japan consist of migrants from Nepal to Japan, including temporary expatriates and permanent residents, as well as their locally born descendants. As of June 2024, there are about 206,898 Nepalis living in Japan, which makes them the largest South Asian community in the country.
Gaijin is a Japanese word for foreigners and non-Japanese citizens in Japan, specifically being applied to foreigners of non-Japanese ethnicity and those from the Japanese diaspora who are not Japanese citizens. The word is composed of two kanji: gai and jin. Similarly composed words that refer to foreign things include gaikoku and gaisha. Though the term can be applied to all foreigners of non-Japanese citizenship and ethnicity, some non-Japanese East Asians may have specific terminology used instead.
Britons in Japan make up the 19th largest foreign resident communities in Japan. The United Kingdom is the third largest source of foreign residents outside Asia, following Brazil and the United States.
Ghanaians in Japan are Japanese people of full or partial Ghanaian ancestry or Ghanaians who became naturalized citizens of Japan.
An Ainu flag was designed by Bikki Sunazawa, a Japanese sculptor of Ainu ancestry.
Arabs in Japan consist of Arab migrants that come to Japan, as well as their descendants. In December 2016, there were 6,037 Arabs living in Japan.
Nissen dōsoron is a theory that reinforces the idea that the Japanese people and the Korean people share a common ancestry. It was first introduced during the Japanese annexation of Korea in the early 20th century by Japanese historians from Tokyo Imperial University after adopting preexisting theories conceived during the Meiji era. It cites both the Nihon Shoki and Kojiki to emphasize that the Japanese people descended from the Japanese deity, Amaterasu and the Korean people from Susanoo, her younger brother.
Ethnic nationalism in Japan or minzoku nationalism means nationalism that emerges from Japan's dominant Yamato people or ethnic minorities.
China 
South Korea + North Korea [note 1] 
Vietnam 
Philippines 
Brazil 
Nepal 
Indonesia 
Taiwan 
United States 
Thailand 
Peru 
India 
Myanmar 
Sri Lanka 
Bangladesh 
Pakistan 
United Kingdom 
Cambodia 
Mongolia 
France 
