Facing a major influx of foreign nationals, Tokyo has decided to subsidize projects by nonprofit organizations supporting foreign residents in an effort to become an international city that provides a comfortable living environment for minorities, Tokyo metropolitan government officials said. “This is the first time the Tokyo metropolitan government has decided to subsidize such projects in the private sector,” said Hiroko Takishima, director of the Citizens’ Affairs Division of the Tokyo government.

As of January, about 390,321 foreign nationals were registered as residents of the capital, up about 20,000 from a year earlier, accounting for more than 3% of Tokyo’s total population. More than 200 registered groups in Tokyo are providing support for non-Japanese citizens in fields including education, medicine and disaster measures. But most of the NPOs are volunteer-based and are short of financial resources.