Since the 2024 election, an unprecedented amount of Americans have been Googling “How to Move to Japan.” While most news outlets like the Guardian have focused on the uptick in the search for “How to Move to Europe,” the interest in Japan follows a very similar pattern.

Let’s dive into Google Trends data:

The way Google scores search terms is on a scale of 0-100. A higher score indicates a higher search volume compared to other periods. Over a period of 5 years, for users from the United States we can see that both “How to Move to Europe” and “How to Move to Japan” hover around 25. In general, Europe is a bit more popular search query than Japan. During the week of the November 2024 election, however, both search terms peaked dramatically.

Will increased search volume translate to increased migration? Some news outlets like Ebbow think there will be a transatlantic “brain drain.”

Why Move to Japan?

What about a transpacific migration? What would drive Americans to move to Japan? In a word: housing costs.

Exit polls from the United States elections have shown that Americans are concerned about rising cost of living. The cost of housing is by far the largest expense Americans have and also the fastest growing.

In the chart above from Longtermtrends.net, we can see that the house price is at a 1250% increase compared to the Consumer Price Index (CPI) which is used to measure general inflation. The little bump in the middle is the 2008 housing bubble. We are well past that now.

In Japan, the aging population and urbanization have caused the opposite phenomenon. Housing prices peaked in 1991 and have been in decline since then. Tokyo is the one exception, as urbanization has resulted in an increase in population.

In social media, there has been a spike in interest for cheap houses in Japan. For example, the Instagram conveniently named “Cheap Houses Japan” showcases houses throughout Japan that are generally $150K or less. They’ve inspired more sites like AkiyaMart that allow users to sift through thousands of Japanese listings. In fact, there are 10M empty houses in Japan and growing.

The economic value proposition to an American is this:

“If you move to Japan, you can buy a house outright for less than the cost of an SUV. With that, your housing budget is effectively eliminated.”

Why move now?

It’s clear from the search volume data for both Europe and Japan that many Americans are nervous about the results of the election. People are considering Plan B.

With Trump’s tariffs, consumer prices in America could continue to rise and inflation could get worse. Japan has had its own share of inflation and political turnover, but for Americans in Japan, the current exchange rate is highly favorable. For many years, the rough exchange rate has been 100 JPY to the dollar. But since mid-2022, it has oscillated around 150 JPY.

Will Americans Move Abroad?

If we’re being honest, most Americans Googling How to Move to Europe or How to Move to Japan will not end up moving. In 2018, the Federal Voting Assistance Program estimated that 3.9 million US citizens lived abroad. Considering that the US population is about 340 million, that is only around 1%.

Emigrating anywhere takes money. The response to “move abroad” as a result of the election result has been criticized as highly privileged. According to the Federal Reserve’s Survey of Consumer Finances, the median savings account balance for all families was $8,000 in 2022. That’s not enough for a family to emigrate abroad.

Due to the low-cost housing opportunities, however, I would argue that Japan is the most economically accessible developed country for Americans to move to. 

The other challenge is that while Americans can visit 188 countries without a visa, there are no countries that will allow Americans to become residents without a visa. Japan’s immigration policies are comparatively conservative as well. Approximately 2.29% of Japan’s population are foreign nationals. In the US, that number is 14.3%.

So, How Do You Move to Japan?

In order to move to Japan (or any other country) you’re going to need a visa and some sort of sponsorship method. Common ways to become a resident in Japan are becoming a student, getting a job, starting a company, or getting married to someone with a right to be in Japan. In recent years, however, Japan has started doing more to attract foreign businesses and highly skilled professionals.

How does Japan Remotely help?

If moving to Japan were easy, then everyone would do it! At Japan Remotely, we’re relocation consultants who help prioritize your goals – whether those are career, lifestyle, or otherwise. Moving to Japan takes a lot of effort, so the end result better be an improvement from your current situation. With that in mind, we take a look at our clients’ options for how you can sustain yourself financially in Japan, and what visa works best.

Once clients are ready, our legal partners are standing by to help execute the plan!

Japan is a great place for Americans (with the right planning).

We’re a Japan Relocation Consultant, Ready to Help You Move to Japan!

Need a sounding board to help with your Japan immigration strategy? We’ve got your back!

👋 Hi! I’m Nick, an experienced Immigration and Moving Consultant at Japan Remotely. We help navigate visa types, Japan real estate, location scouting, career opportunities in Japan, business strategy, and more. We help you create a realistic Action Plan and Visa Strategy, so you can find your fastest track to permanent residency and the lifestyle you’ve been dreaming of.

Interested to learn more? Talk to us! We are happy to discuss a custom strategy.