Foreigners in Japan
According to the Japanese National Statistical Institute, in 2000 there were 1,310,545 foreigners of all ages, 621,046 males and 689,499 females. The most represented nationalities include:
Koreans..............529,406
Chinese..............253,096
Brazilians...........188,355
Fillipinos............93,662
Americans.............38,094
Peruvians.............33,608
Thais.................23,967
Indonesians...........14,610
Vietnamese............12,965
British...............10,411
Canadians..............7,067
Australians............6,418
Malaysians.............5,849
Indians................5,771
Bengalis...............5,548
Why the number of Peruvians and Brazillians ? Many are of Japanese ancestry.
Around 15,000 foreigners a year acquire Japanese citizenship, mostly Koreans and Chinese. One former Finn who became Japanese, Tsurunen Marutei, became a member of the Japanese Diet.
ref:http://www.stat.go.jp/english/data/kokusei/2000/gaikoku/00/hyodai.htm