Japan said at a ‘crossroads' over party policies on foreign residents

Asahi Shimbun

6 days ago

Voters listen to a candidate advocate strengthened regulations on foreigners during the Upper House election campaign in Tokyo's Chuo Ward on July 3. (Chika Yamamoto)
Following similar trends overseas, several Japanese political parties are announcing tougher regulations against foreigners in the Upper House election campaign as xenophobic sentiment spreads among certain segments of the voting population.
'Foreign resident policy' emerged as a rising election issue after parties saw surging support numbers for Sanseito, the 'Japanese first' party that takes a particularly strong stance against immigration.
Although campaign promises to tackle foreigner-related problems resonate with some voters, people with foreign roots in Japan are feeling anxious during the election campaign.
They wonder if the wave of anti-immigrant sentiment will continue after the July 20 Upper House election.
At least one political expert warns that 'Japan now stands at a crossroads.'
FINANCIAL STRESS
On July 12 in Osaka, a 38-year-old corporate worker from Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, shook the hand of an Upper House election candidate who advocates policies prioritizing Japanese people.
Although the worker said she has never been directly bothered by foreigners, she said stress related to wealthy non-Japanese may have contributed to health conditions that led to her stillbirth earlier this year.
She and her husband both work full time but still have financial difficulties.
When she learned that wealthy foreigners were buying up Japanese real estate, she feared the rent for the couple's apartment would rise and put more pressure on their lives.
She said she wonders whether the stillbirth could have been avoided if she was less stressed about their financial and working situation.
'No matter how hard I work, I won't be rewarded because of wealthy foreigners,' she said she thought.
After she heard a political party on social media call for tighter regulations on real estate purchases by foreigners, that belief grew stronger.
SAFETY FEARS
A 28-year-old local government worker at the same street rally said he had no financial concerns but was worried about public safety because of the increasing number of non-Japanese residents.
According to National Police Agency statistics, the number of criminal offenses committed by foreigners and the number of foreign offenders have both declined since the mid-2000s.
The numbers have remained nearly flat over the past decade despite the sharp expansion in the foreign population in Japan.
After the government worker was informed about the government's crime statistics, he said, 'Even if things are OK now, if we don't regulate foreigners, it'll be too late.'
But in general, views about foreign residents in Japan appear more positive than negative.
Professor Shunsuke Tanabe at Waseda University, whose expertise is sociology, and others have conducted a nationwide survey every four years since 2009 on how people feel about the increasing number of foreigners in Japan.
In the 2021 survey, the 3,082 respondents were asked, 'Do you think the increase in foreigners stimulates the economy?'
Forty-six percent answered, 'I think so,' compared with 16 percent who answered, 'I don't think so.'
The number of positive responses on questions about foreign residents in Japan has continued to rise since 2009, according to Tanabe.
ANXIOUS FEELINGS IN CAMPAIGN
Foreigners and those of foreign descent living in Japan have expressed anxiety and confusion about the political trend.
A female student in her 20s in western Japan was born and raised in Japan to Bangladeshi parents.
Before the Upper House election campaign started on July 3, she saw a politician's video clip saying, 'Foreigners are using Japanese tax money for free.'
The remark offended her.
'Most foreigners pay taxes just like Japanese people do,' she thought at the time.
When she was in junior high school, her parents asked if she wanted to acquire Japanese citizenship.
She initially declined but later agreed after her parents said: 'You've received the same education as Japanese people and have lived in Japan. You'll continue to work here, pay taxes and live your life here.'
Her dream is to become an engineer and contribute to Japanese development projects. But she now worries that Japan may start excluding foreigners, and she might lose her 'emotional home.'
A 30-year-old Indonesian man working at a nursing facility for elderly people in Tokyo wonders why he has become a target in election campaigns.
'I follow the rules and live properly. I can't accept that people see me as an enemy just because I'm a foreigner,' he said.
He came to Japan through the Economic Partnership Agreement framework between the Japanese and Indonesian governments. At his workplace, 20 to 30 percent of employees are foreigners.
Before working there, he spent about a year learning the Japanese language and customs. He believes that problems arise when foreigners are brought in without sufficient training.
If Japan ends up excluding foreigners, 'it will come back like a boomerang,' he said. 'It is the Japanese people who will have difficulties due to labor shortages.'
Several groups that promote the human rights of foreign residents in Japan have expressed concern about the election campaign.
Amnesty International Japan held a news conference in Tokyo on July 4, calling for 'a society where everyone's human rights are protected.'
On July 8, eight groups, including nonprofit organization Solidarity Network with Migrants Japan, issued an urgent joint statement opposing 'the incitement of xenophobia.'
POTENTIAL POLITICAL SHIFTS
Ken Endo, professor of international politics at the University of Tokyo who specializes in Europe, said criticism against current policies on foreign residents in Japan has spread among the lower-middle working-class population of tens of millions of people.
Endo said both economic and cultural factors are pushing the 'magma' of populism.
On the economic side, many working-class people hold regular jobs but face stagnant wages and feel dissatisfaction about inequality, he said.
'They perceive that support is being prioritized for foreigners, and that major political parties are neglecting Japanese taxpayers like themselves,' he said.
Culturally, these people may feel 'this country will no longer be ours' as the number of foreigners in Japan increases.
A similar phenomenon has occurred in Europe.
'Parties with xenophobic stances gained support, and consequently, even moderate conservative parties adopted similar rhetoric,' Endo said. 'A country's democracy becomes dysfunctional if moderate conservatism collapses.'
He said Japanese parties with extreme stances are gaining support by advocating policies that lean further right than the moderately conservative Liberal Democratic Party.
'I fear the LDP may try to win over these supporters and get pulled further right. I believe this country is truly at a turning point,' Endo said.
(This article was compiled from reports by Takuya Asakura, Shoko Matsuura, Nozomi Matsukawa, Chika Yamamoto and Koichiro Ishida.)