Japanese Restaurants in Asia by Country: 2025 Hiring Data

MAFF counted about 112,400 Japanese restaurants in Asia in 2025, down from about 122,000 in 2023. Read past the headline: the entire fall is China, down 15,260 (19%). The other 21 Asian markets MAFF lists grew by 13% combined, led by Indonesia (+2,580) and South Korea (+1,590). For an employer choosing where to open or expand, that means faster growing competition for chefs in Indonesia, Korea, Thailand and Malaysia, while China's contraction may be putting experienced staff on the market.

1. Asia in the 2025 count

MAFF counts about 112,400 Japanese restaurants in Asia in its 2025 survey, down from about 122,000 in 2023, a fall of roughly 9,600 (about 10%). Asia still holds 62% of the world total of about 181,000. MAFF gives one reason for the regional 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 rounds each row to the nearest ten, so sums differ slightly from the published regional total. Outside China, Asia grew about 13% in two years. Anyone describing Asia as a shrinking market for Japanese food is really describing China.

3. Where hiring gets harder, market by market

A rising restaurant count is the clearest public signal of rising competition for the same pool of experienced Japanese cuisine cooks. Below is the visa route and the one salary number each market's own guide leads with; use the guide for the full cost and timeline.

Indonesia and South Korea are adding restaurants fastest, so budget more time to hire and expect counter-offers there. China's 19% contraction does not mean an easy hire: the market is still nine times the size of Vietnam's, and MAFF's data cannot tell you where cooks from closed restaurants went. It is a reason to advertise inside China for experienced staff, not a reason to expect a shortage there.

4. East, Southeast and South Asia

MAFF does not publish sub-regional totals; grouping its country rows shows where Asia is heading.

Southeast Asia added nearly 4,000 restaurants, two thirds of that from Indonesia alone. East Asia outside China grew slowly, Korea's gain partly offset by Taiwan's fall. South Asia is small but growing fast from a low base, led by India (+220, +54%).

5. The full country table

MAFF counts Hong Kong and Macau separately from China. We keep this table to markets of 100 or more restaurants; below that, MAFF's rounding to the nearest ten makes a percentage change meaningless (a move from 50 to 100 is "+100%" on 50 restaurants).

Eight further markets with fewer than 100 restaurants each in 2025 (Nepal, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Brunei, Bangladesh, Laos, Maldives, Pakistan) total about 470 restaurants, up from about 360 in 2023. Country-level figures only exist from 2023; MAFF's 2023 table notes that surveys up to 2021 were not designed for country publication.

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.

For Australia's own visa route and cost, see our Australia hiring guide.

7. What this means for your hiring plan

• Budget more lead time where restaurants are being added fastest. Indonesia, South Korea, Thailand and Malaysia are adding Japanese restaurants year on year, so more employers are chasing the same experienced cooks. Plan hiring in months, not weeks.
• China's contraction is worth testing, not assuming. A 19% fall in restaurant numbers over two years is large. The data cannot show where those cooks went, but it is a reason to advertise for experienced Japanese cuisine cooks already in China before recruiting from Japan.
• Where Japanese residents are concentrated, local hiring is more realistic. Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs counted 92,928 Japanese nationals in China, 72,113 in Thailand and 44,471 in South Korea as of 1 October 2025; Bangkok, Singapore and Shanghai are each among the world's top five cities for Japanese residents. Full country and city figures are on our Japanese nationals abroad page.
• Visa rules differ more than the restaurant counts do. Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and South Korea each run a different salary or quota test. Start with our summary of Asian work visa rules, then the country guide for the market you have chosen.

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