Japanese Restaurants in Asia by Country: MAFF 2025 Data

Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) published its 2025 count of Japanese restaurants outside Japan on 28 November 2025. Our overview of the survey covers the global total and the top ten countries. This article goes one level down and looks at every Asian market in MAFF's country table.

1. Asia in the 2025 count

MAFF counts about 112,400 Japanese restaurants in Asia, down from about 122,000 in 2023. That is a fall of about 9,600, or roughly 10%. Asia still holds 62% of the world total of about 181,000.

MAFF gives one reason for the fall: the economic slowdown in China. The country table shows why that single explanation is enough.

2. China against the rest of Asia

Figures are the sums of MAFF's country rows. MAFF lists only markets with 10 or more restaurants and rounds each row to the nearest ten, so the sums differ slightly from the regional totals. The 2023 column is taken from MAFF's 2023 country table and matches the 2025 figure minus the published change in every row.

Outside China, Asia grew by about 13% in two years. Anyone describing Asia as a shrinking market for Japanese food is really describing China.

3. All 22 Asian markets, 2023 and 2025

MAFF counts Hong Kong and Macau separately from China. Percentages are our calculation from MAFF's rounded figures, so treat changes in small markets with care: a move from 50 to 100 is a doubling, but only 50 restaurants.

Country-level figures only exist from 2023. MAFF's 2023 table notes that surveys up to 2021 were not designed for country publication, so there is no official country series before then.

4. Sub-regions: East, Southeast and South Asia

MAFF does not publish sub-regional totals. Grouping its country rows gives a clearer picture of where Asia is heading.

Southeast Asia added nearly 4,000 restaurants, and Indonesia alone accounts for two thirds of that. East Asia outside China grew slowly: Korea's gain was partly offset by Taiwan's fall. South Asia is small but growing fast from a low base, led by India.

5. Where growth was fastest

• Indonesia (+2,580). The largest absolute gain of any country in the world in the 2025 survey. Indonesia moved past Thailand into fourth place in Asia.
• South Korea (+1,590). Already the third largest market in the world after China and the US, and still adding restaurants.
• Thailand (+590) and Malaysia (+310). Steady growth in two established markets.
• India (+220, +54%). Small in absolute terms, but one of the fastest growth rates among markets with more than 100 restaurants.
• Falls outside China: Taiwan (−340) and Singapore (−70). Singapore is the only Southeast Asian market that shrank.

MAFF does not give reasons for individual countries apart from China. Its counting method also matters: a restaurant is included if it is listed as Japanese on local websites, directories or guidebooks, belongs to a local Japanese restaurant association, is treated as Japanese by the local Japanese community or chamber of commerce, or is recognised as such by the Japanese embassy or consulate. Changes in the sources used can move a country's count, so read small shifts as indicative.

6. Oceania, counted separately

MAFF counts Oceania as its own region: about 2,800 restaurants, up about 300 (roughly 10%), which MAFF links to more people from the region visiting Japan.

7. What the numbers mean for hiring

• Competition for staff is rising where restaurants are being added. In Indonesia, Korea, Thailand and Malaysia, more Japanese restaurants means more employers chasing the same experienced cooks. Budget for that in pay and in time to hire.
• China's contraction may free up experienced staff. The data cannot tell you where cooks from closed restaurants went, but a 19% fall in two years is large enough that it is worth advertising for experienced Japanese cuisine cooks already in China. See our China hiring guide.
• Where Japanese residents are concentrated, local hiring is realistic. According to Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (as of 1 October 2025), China has 92,928 Japanese nationals, Thailand 72,113 and South Korea 44,471. Bangkok (51,297), Singapore (33,397) and Shanghai (31,733) are among the five cities with the most Japanese residents in the world.
• Visa rules differ more than the markets do. Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand all have salary or quota tests that shape who you can hire from Japan. Start with our summary of Asian work visa rules, then the country guides for Indonesia, Thailand and Singapore.

General information, not investment or legal advice. Restaurant counts are MAFF's rounded figures as published; percentages and group totals are our own calculations from those figures.