Korean men eye Japan for long-term residence amid increased job opportunities, dating prospects

More Korean men are looking to Japan not only for jobs but also for long-term residence, due to tough hiring conditions and longer working hours at home, as well as relationships with Japanese partners.

People walk through Ginza’s shopping district in Tokyo, Japan, on Dec. 15. [EPA/YONHAP]

More Korean men are looking to Japan not only for jobs but also for long-term residence, due to tough hiring conditions and longer working hours at home, as well as relationships with Japanese partners.

Japanese media outlet Shueisha Online reported on Monday that the number of Koreans seeking long-term residence in Japan continues to rise, citing foreign employment statistics from Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. The data shows the number of Koreans working in Japan increased from about 69,000 in 2020 to about 75,000 in 2024, an increase of roughly 8 percent over four years.

The outlet cited a tough job market in Korea as a key driver of the trend, particularly among young men.

One Korean man in his mid-30s has worked in Japan since 2019. He majored in hotel management at a university in Korea but struggled to find work after graduation.

“I applied to 10 luxury hotels in Seoul but received an offer from only one,” he said. “Many required a Toeic score of at least 850, and I even heard that some places preferred men who were at least 180 centimeters [5 feet, 11 inches] tall."

He later found a job in Korea but left for Japan after struggling with long working hours and low pay. He now works in the real estate sector in Japan.

Foreign tourists walk through the Nakamise Street at Asakusa, downtown in Tokyo, Japan, on Sept. 7, 2022. [EPA/YONHAP]

He described sharp differences in workplace norms between the two countries.

“The pay is similar, but companies in Japan respect private life and rarely contact employees after work or on holidays,” he said. “After getting used to this lifestyle, I think it would be difficult to work for a Korean company again.”

Another young Korean adult working at a Japanese company shared a similar view.

“In Korea, people even joke, saying, ‘Sorry for majoring in the liberal arts,’ because finding a job has become extremely difficult,” they said. “Large companies dominate hiring, and high entry barriers push more young people to look overseas."

Shueisha Online's report also noted a growing preference among Korean men to marry Japanese women. International marriages between Korean men and Japanese women reached 1,176 couples in 2024, up 40 percent from 2023 and the highest level since 2015, according to data from the Ministry of Data and Statistics.

"About half of Koreans seeking jobs in Japan cite having a Japanese partner as a reason for their move," the second interviewee said.

They added that more couples meet through language exchange applications and said many Korean men are drawn to Japanese women’s strong sense of financial self-reliance.

The first interviewee also married a Japanese woman he met through a language exchange app.

Experts pointed to differences in social expectations.

“Korean society places heavy housing and financial burdens on men, while marriage conditions in Japan remain relatively flexible,” they said.

Shueisha Online also said that the presence of young Korean people is growing in Japanese society, where living alongside foreign residents has become a key social issue.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom. BY SHIN HYE-YEON [paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr]