On August 27, a post on China's social media platform Xiaohongshu (RED) asking "Is Japan surprisingly the second most popular destination for Chinese emigrants, following the United States?" generated a significant reaction.

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The poster introduced statistical data compiled by the United Nations in 2024 on "the population born in China and currently residing overseas." According to the data, the United States is the country where the largest number of people born in China reside, with 2,489,000 people. This is followed by Japan, with 810,000 people.

The subsequent rankings are: 3rd, Canada (772,000 people); 4th, South Korea (757,000 people); 5th, Australia (656,000 people); 6th, Singapore (534,000 people); 7th, Italy (241,000 people); 8th, Bangladesh (219,000 people); 9th, Spain (199,000 people); and 10th, Kazakhstan (196,000 people).

The poster expressed surprise, saying, "Why do so many people go to Japan? Everyone knows that the U.S. has the largest number, that goes without saying. But I really never imagined that Japan would come next, and with such a significant number."

They also mentioned that a Japanese woman they met online had said, "It's true that there are many Chinese people living in Japan. They tend to gather and live in certain areas, so if you see one, you might see many."

Chinese netizens responded to this post with comments such as: "Japan has a good environment. Rich people probably want to go there to breathe clean air." "Japan is close, rice is a staple food, and it's easy to adapt to life there. Travel costs are also cheap." "Japan is much better compared to Australia, Canada, or the UK." "Isn't it because Japan is in Asia, making its culture easy to get used to?" "The cost of living in Japan isn't that high." "Besides immigration, aren't there many people studying abroad in Japan?"

Other comments included: "The more harshly a country is criticized (by Chinese people), the more Chinese people go to that country." "People who emigrate probably don't criticize the host country, though." "All wise people emigrate to the U.S." "That's why data doesn't lie. Chinese people are very shrewd." "Chinese upper and middle classes are smart. The lower class is foolish." "Many people travel to the U.S. and Japan too." "Why make such a big deal out of this small number? It's not like hundreds of millions of people are emigrating." "Only the elite can escape. Hundreds of millions of people just can't emigrate even if they want to." (Translation and editing by Kitada)