Get counted in 2025

Do you, as a foreign resident of Japan, count? Japan's 総務省 soumusho, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, responsible for the census, says you do. The ministry conducts a census every five years. Anyone residing in Japan for three months or more must respond. It's the law.

The first reminder of the upcoming census I noticed was a poster on a train. The slogan, いざ、国勢調査！Iza, kokuseichōsa! Time for the census! appears in videos and on posters.

You can respond the old-fashioned way, by post. The notice that you'll receive by snail mail also provides an option for an online response. Even better, it's available in eight languages, including English and Japanese. The census runs from September 20th to October 8th.

You can read the details on the English language census website.