Japanese Restaurants in Europe 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 article covers the world totals. This article looks at Europe country by country, where a flat headline hides some of the sharpest swings in the whole survey.

1. Europe in the 2025 count

MAFF counts about 19,200 Japanese restaurants in Europe, against about 19,400 in 2023, and describes the region as flat. Europe holds about 11% of the world total of about 181,000. The regional series runs from about 6,700 in 2013 to 12,400 (2015), 14,600 (2017), 14,800 (2019), 16,400 (2021) and 19,400 (2023), so 2025 is the first time the European count has not risen.

2. What MAFF counts as Europe

MAFF's Europe is wide. The regional series is labelled "Europe (including Russia)", and the 2025 country table places Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, the Caucasus and Central Asian states such as Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan in the European list. Turkey is counted in the Middle East (see our Middle East and Africa data article). For Ukraine, MAFF repeats the 2021 figure because a survey was not possible.

3. Flat total, big moves underneath

The 42 European rows in MAFF's table add up to a net change of only −220. Behind that small number, some countries gained or lost more than a quarter of their restaurants.

Falls in France, Russia, Italy, Sweden and Norway total 2,560 restaurants. Gains in the UK, the Netherlands and Germany alone total 1,220. The weight of Europe's Japanese restaurant market has shifted toward the UK, the Netherlands and Germany, and away from France and Italy.

France is still the largest market in the region with 3,390 restaurants, but its lead has narrowed. In 2023 France had nearly four times as many Japanese restaurants as the UK (4,680 against 1,260). In 2025 the ratio is below two to one (3,390 against 1,820).

4. All 42 markets, 2023 and 2025

MAFF lists only markets with 10 or more restaurants and rounds to the nearest ten. The 2023 figures come from MAFF's 2023 country table. Percentages are our calculation and swing widely for small markets.

Montenegro appeared in the 2023 table with 10 restaurants and does not appear in 2025, which means it fell below MAFF's threshold of 10 or was not reported.

5. Restaurants against Japanese residents

Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs counts Japanese nationals living abroad. Setting its figures (as of 1 October 2025) next to the restaurant count shows how different the big three markets are.

France has the most restaurants but the smallest Japanese community of the three. The UK has the largest community and a fast growing restaurant count. For an employer, this ratio is a rough guide to how deep the local pool of Japanese speakers is compared with the demand for them.

6. How far to trust country swings

MAFF gives reasons only at regional level, and gives none for Europe beyond calling it flat. Keep three things in mind before you build a plan on a single country's number:

• The counting method relies on local sources. A restaurant is counted if local websites, directories or guidebooks list it as Japanese, if it belongs to a Japanese restaurant association, if the local Japanese community or chamber of commerce treats it as Japanese, or if the Japanese embassy or consulate recognises it. A change of source in one country can move its count sharply.
• Only two data points exist. MAFF's 2023 table notes that country figures were not published before 2023. A 28% fall in France is one comparison, not a trend.
• Small markets swing on tiny numbers. Kyrgyzstan's +540% is 270 restaurants.

7. What it means for hiring

• UK: demand is rising while sponsorship has closed. The UK added the most Japanese restaurants in Europe, yet since 22 July 2025 new overseas sponsorship for chefs is effectively closed. Hiring leans on people already in the UK and on the Youth Mobility Scheme. See our guides on hiring after the 2025 changes and the Youth Mobility Scheme.
• Netherlands and Germany: growth plus workable routes. Both grew by a quarter or more. Germany has a dedicated specialty cook route. See the Germany and Netherlands guides.
• France and Italy: a shrinking count may mean experienced staff on the market. The data does not show where staff from closed restaurants went, but a fall of this size is worth testing with a local advert before recruiting from Japan. See the France guide.

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