TOKYO, Feb. 4 (Xinhua) -- The number of foreign workers in Japan hit a record high in 2019, the government said in a report on Tuesday.
According to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, the number of foreign workers topped 1.65 million in the recording period.
Specifically, the labor ministry said that as of the end of October last year, the number of foreigners working in Japan stood at 1,658,804, rising by 190,000 workers, which is the equivalent of about a 13-percent increase, compared to the previous year.
The ministry said that the increase in the numbers of workers from overseas was partly due to more workers coming to Japan under a new technical trainee program.
The majority of overseas workers were from China in the recording period, the ministry said, totaling around 418,000 people, while 401,000 workers came from Vietnam. In third place, 179,000 workers originated from the Philippines, the government's data showed.
Some 531,000 workers were of Japanese descent or spouses of Japanese nationals, the ministry also said.
Around 383,000 workers belonged to the technical trainee program, while 329,000 were those categorized as having specialized knowledge and skills, with the category including engineers and researchers.
The labor ministry compiled the statistics based on data gathered from employers.
