There were 117,568 Japanese restaurants overseas as of October 2017, according to data collected by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries. This is a 30% increase compared to the results of the previous study conducted in 2015,
and around five times larger than the number reported in the first study carried out in 2006.
Japanese cuisine has long had a healthy image, and ingredients from Japan have a good reputation for safety. But now that more foreign tourists are visiting, there seems to be a rising interest in the cuisine, which is driving up the number of Japanese restaurants in other countries. Compared to 2015, the number of restaurants in Asian countries rose by 53%, to a total of around 69,300, which is approximately 60% of all Japanese restaurants worldwide.
The increasing number of tourists visiting Japan from China and other countries seems to have boosted the popularity of sushi, ramen, and other Japanese cuisine in their own countries.
In North America, however, the increase in the number of Japanese restaurants has leveled off.