Japan launches government body to address concerns over foreigners
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
Japan has long sought to maintain a homogeneous population through strict immigration laws but has gradually eased them to supplement its shrinking and ageing labour force.
PHOTO: AFP
Follow topic:
TOKYO – Japan on July 15 set up an administrative body aimed at easing citizens’ concerns over the rapid rise in the number of foreigners in recent years, as policies concerning non-Japanese residents emerge as a key issue in the upcoming national election on July 20.
The body would serve as a cross-agency “control tower” to respond to issues such as crime and over-tourism
Japan has long sought to maintain a homogeneous population through strict immigration laws but has gradually eased them to supplement its shrinking and ageing labour force.
The number of foreign nationals hit a record of about 3.8 million in 2024, although that is still just 3 per cent of the total population.
The formation of the administration body comes after a group of lawmakers in Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in June proposed measures to realise a “society of orderly and harmonious coexistence with foreign nationals”.
Those measures included adopting stricter requirements for foreigners switching to a Japanese driving licence
“Crimes and disorderly conduct by some foreigners, as well as the inappropriate use of various administrative systems, have created a situation in which the public feels uneasy and cheated,” Mr Ishiba said at the kick-off ceremony.
Concerns over the influx of foreigners, both temporary and permanent, have resonated with voters, with opinion polls showing a rapid surge in the popularity of tiny populist party Sanseito, which advocates a “Japanese First”
Public opinion polls show the LDP and its junior coalition partner Komeito are in jeopardy of losing their majority in the Upper House election on July 20. REUTERS
