How Many Japanese Restaurants Are There Outside Japan? 2025 Data

MAFF's 2025 survey counts about 181,000 Japanese restaurants outside Japan, down roughly 6,000 from the 2023 figure of about 187,000: the first decline since the count began in 2013. Almost all of the fall is one country, China, down 15,260; the rest of the world grew. If a document or pitch deck you have quotes "187,000 and rising", that number is one survey cycle out of date.

1. The 2025 count, and the stale 187,000

Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) counts Japanese restaurants outside Japan every two years, compiled from surveys run by Japan's diplomatic missions. The 2025 (Reiwa 7) survey, published 28 November 2025, put the total at about 181,000, against about 187,000 in the 2023 survey. That is a fall of roughly 6,000, and the first decline since the series started in 2013.

Nearly the whole decline is one country. China fell to 63,500 restaurants in 2025, down 15,260, larger than the entire net global fall of 6,000. Outside China, the count of Japanese restaurants abroad grew.

2. The trend since 2013

Restaurant counts by region, from MAFF's published trend table.

*Includes Russia.

From 2013 to 2025 the global count grew 3.3 times, but not smoothly: fast growth to 2019, flat through the pandemic years, a jump in 2023, then the first contraction in 2025.

3. Top 10 countries and change since 2023

MAFF rounds to the nearest ten and counts Hong Kong and Macau apart from mainland China.

4. What happened by region

MAFF gives a one-line reason for each region's move: Asia down about 10% on China's slowdown; Latin America up about 20% on anime-driven demand; the Middle East up about 20% on health consciousness; Africa up about 20% on more diverse diets; Oceania up about 10% on inbound tourism. North America and Europe look flat at the regional total, but that hides opposite moves inside Europe: France down 1,290 and Italy down 300, while the UK, Germany and the Netherlands each grew. For the country-by-country reasoning and each region's own hiring notes, see the regional pages linked in the scope box above.

5. Japanese residents abroad, in brief

MOFA's companion count of Japanese nationals living abroad, as of 1 October 2025, stood at 1,298,170, almost flat on the year (+0.4%). More of that population is now settling permanently: permanent residents rose to 588,486 (45.3%, up 1.4% on the year) while long-term residents (mostly corporate postings) slipped to 709,684. That shift matters for staffing, because a settled Japanese community is a deeper pool of people who already hold local work rights. For the city ranking, see Japanese residents by city; for the country-level long-term-versus-permanent split, see Japanese nationals abroad by country.

6. Certified cooks, in brief

MAFF also runs a certification of cooking skills for non-Japanese chefs of Japanese cuisine working abroad, in three tiers: Bronze, Silver and Gold. As of 31 March 2026 there were 3,976 certified cooks worldwide: 28 Gold, 1,337 Silver, 2,611 Bronze. Against 181,000 restaurants, that is roughly one certified cook for every 45 restaurants, and this certification is aimed at your local hires, not at a chef recruited from Japan. For what a certificate does and does not tell you when you are evaluating a candidate, see MAFF certification: what it means for hiring. For the full breakdown by nationality and how to get your own staff certified, see the certification playbook.

7. Turning the count into a staffing shortlist

A country's restaurant count says nothing on its own about whether you can bring a chef from Japan to work there, or what the local market pays. Read the top 10 alongside the visa route.

Three practical takeaways for a head office comparing markets: talk about size with the current 181,000 figure, not 187,000; treat "Europe" and "Asia" as several markets rather than one, since countries inside each region are moving in opposite directions; and remember restaurant count and hiring difficulty are different questions; South Korea's restaurant count is growing fastest among the top 10 while its E-7 wage floor and local-hire tests make sponsorship the harder route of the group.

Figures are quoted as published by MAFF and MOFA. Both surveys are updated on their own cycles; check the primary sources below before using these numbers in a business case or pitch.