Japanese Restaurants in the US and Canada: MAFF 2025 Data

Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) published its 2025 count of Japanese restaurants abroad on 28 November 2025. Our overview article covers the global picture. This one looks at North America: two countries, one flat and one growing quickly.

1. North America in the 2025 count

MAFF counts about 29,400 Japanese restaurants in North America, against about 28,600 in 2023. MAFF describes this as flat. It is the second largest region after Asia, with about 16% of the world total of about 181,000.

2. What MAFF means by North America

In MAFF's tables, North America is the United States and Canada only. Mexico is counted in Latin America (7,430 restaurants in 2025; see our Latin America data article). If you add Mexico to a "North American market" figure in a pitch or business plan, say so, because it changes the total by a quarter.

3. United States and Canada, 2023 and 2025

MAFF rounds each country to the nearest ten, so the two rows add to slightly more than the rounded regional figure. Percentages are our calculation.

Two points stand out.

• Canada added more restaurants than the United States in absolute terms (470 against 320), from a base one tenth the size. Canada is now tenth in MAFF's world ranking.
• The US is second in the world after China, but it is close to saturation in MAFF's count. Growth of 1% in two years means new openings are roughly matched by closures.

4. The regional trend since 2013

MAFF has published regional totals since 2013. Country figures only go back to 2023: the 2023 table states that earlier surveys were not designed for publishing country figures.

The 2025 figure is back to the 2019 level but still below the 2021 peak. North America's share of the world total has fallen from about 31% in 2013 to about 16% in 2025, because Asia and Latin America grew much faster. This is a mature market: growth comes from taking share, not from a rising tide.

5. Restaurants and Japanese residents

Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs counts Japanese nationals living abroad. As of 1 October 2025:

The US has more Japanese nationals than any other country, and Canada ranks fourth. Los Angeles (63,972) is the city with the most Japanese nationals in the world, and New York (38,251) is third. Most Japanese residents are not cooks and many are not looking for restaurant work. The ratio is a rough indicator of the local Japanese talent pool, not a forecast.

6. What the data does not tell you

• No state, province or city figures. MAFF publishes country totals only. Any "number of Japanese restaurants in California" figure you see comes from another source, not this survey.
• No split by format. Sushi bars, ramen shops, teppanyaki and grocery sushi counters are all inside one number, depending on how local sources list them.
• No reasons for the US and Canadian changes. MAFF gives reasons only at regional level, and calls North America flat.
• Counting method. 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 treats it as Japanese, or if the Japanese diplomatic mission recognises it as such.

7. What it means for hiring

• In the US, the fight is for share, and staff are part of it. With the count flat, a new restaurant usually replaces an old one. Experienced cooks move between employers, so pay and working conditions decide who gets them. The BLS median for chefs and head cooks was $62,470 in May 2025, and higher in metros such as Seattle ($80,330), San Jose ($79,020) and New York ($71,780). Our salary guide has the detail.
• In Canada, growth means competition for a smaller pool. An 18% rise in restaurants in two years is fast. Canada's temporary foreign worker rules have tightened (see our Canada guide), so local and working holiday hires matter more.
• Visa routes are the bottleneck, not demand. There is no chef-specific US visa. The main routes are the E-2 treaty visa, where the business itself qualifies, and the O-1 for chefs with a record of distinction. Start with our visa sponsorship guide.

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