How curry shops got caught in Japan’s immigration crackdown
Sign up now: Get insights on Asia's fast-moving developments
For decades, workers have relied on business manager visas, setting up small restaurants that serve curry, fried rice, noodles and other favourites.
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION: UNSPLASH
Javier C. Hernandez and Kiuko Notoya
SHIMOTSUKE, Japan – For three years, Mr Mahendra Dharmapriya, a Sri Lankan restaurateur, filled the streets of his neighbourhood in rural Japan with the smells of his homeland: creamy lentils, fish curry, egg hoppers and black tea with ginger.
But on a recent Saturday, Mr Dharmapriya cooked the last meal at Daiya Ceylon, his Sri Lankan curry shop in Shimotsuke, a town about 106km north of Tokyo, and shut its doors. He was forced to close the restaurant because he could not satisfy new visa rules meant to restrict the flow of foreigners into Japan. He planned to return to Sri Lanka this week.
