The number of foreign workers in Japan hit a record high of more than 1.82 million last year.

The labor ministry says there were 1,822,725 foreign workers as of the end of last October. That's an increase of about 95,504, or 5.5 percent, from a year earlier.

The figure has been on the rise since record-keeping began in 2007. The annual rate of increase fell to 0.2 percent in 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic, but it expanded again in the latest data.

By nationality, Vietnamese workers top the list at 462,384, or about a quarter of the total. Chinese nationals account for 385,848, followed by 206,050 people from the Philippines.

The number of technical trainees was 343,254, down 2.4 percent from a year earlier. The figure declined for the second year in a row, possibly due to anti-coronavirus border controls.

Labor ministry officials say that although the number of technical trainees has fallen, the overall rate of increase is recovering to pre-pandemic levels.

The officials say they will consult with companies to ensure that foreign nationals can work comfortably in Japan regardless of language or customs.