Justice Ministry records reveal that Chinese have become the largest group of foreigners residing in Japan, edging out Koreans who had been in the top spot since records were taken in 1959. Chinese residents in Japan now number 600,000, double their 1997 number. With Brazilians and Filipinos, the next two largest groups, a quickly expanding Indian population and residents from almost every other nation, Japan now has more than 2 million foreign residents.

The reasons for Chinese coming to Japan are various, but opportunity and interest are high among them. That Japan can be seen as a "land of opportunity" is a positive sign.

While many foreigners surely come to Japan seeking economic opportunities, they may be staying in Japan because they like it. That is not to say that Japan always welcomes foreigners beyond issuing visas and residency permits. Intercultural frictions persist. But the new attitude goes beyond the need for low-paid labor and the pleasure of dining at ethnic restaurants. Chinese is now taught at more and more high schools and colleges, newspapers in Portuguese are commonplace, and portions of every large city have started to take on a different character.