Japanese migration to Thailand has a long history, and in recent years has grown to a large extent. Bangkok, the home of two-thirds of all the registered Japanese residents in Thailand, has the fourth-largest Japanese expatriate population of any city in the world outside Japan, only behind Los Angeles, New York City, and Shanghai.[3] Japanese residents themselves suspect that their actual population number may be several times more than the official figures, because many transient residents, especially those on long-term tourist visas, fail to register with their local Japanese consulates.[4]