181,000 Japanese Restaurants Overseas | The First Year of Decline

According to a survey released by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries in November 2025, the number of establishments overseas treated as “Japanese restaurants” was 181,000 restaurants This was a decrease of about 6,000 from approximately 187,000 restaurants in the previous survey (2023).

Asia decreased, while other regions increased

Overall, the number declined, but the details differ clearly by region.

• Asia --Due in part to the impact of economic stagnation in China, the number fell by about 10% (about 9,600 restaurants) to 112,400.
• Oceania --The number rose by about 10% (about 300 restaurants) to 2,800.
• Latin America --The number rose by about 20% (about 2,400 restaurants) to 15,300.

In other words, demand for Japanese food itself has not shrunk worldwide. The structure is that declines in Asia, especially China, pushed down the overall figure.

The nature of restaurant count as an indicator

This survey estimates broad numbers through Japanese diplomatic missions overseas and other channels, counting “restaurants treated as Japanese restaurants.” It does not ask whether they are run by Japanese people or whether they serve authentic Japanese cuisine. So it is probably closer to reality to think of the restaurant count not as a measure of culinary purity, but as the breadth of the market that the figure represents.

The scale of 180,000 restaurants is a slight decline after major growth compared with 10 years ago. On the world map, Japanese food is no longer a rare cuisine. What may be questioned next is not the number of restaurants, but what is inside them.

For more on the overseas expansion of Japanese sweets, see this article here.

Reference: Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries; Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO)

—The Value Village Editorial Team