Japan launches government body to address concerns over foreigners
(Corrects formatting, no changes to text)
TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan on Tuesday 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 Sunday's national election.
The body would serve as a cross-agency "control tower" to respond to issues such as crime and over-tourism involving foreigners, the government said.
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 last year, although that is still just 3% 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 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 driver's license and for buying real estate properties.
"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," 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" agenda.
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.
(Reporting by Satoshi Sugiyama; Editing by Chang-Ran Kim and Michael Perry)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
an hour ago
- The Star
Photo exhibit in Minsk commemorates 80th anniversary of victory of World Anti-Fascist War
MINSK, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- A photo exhibition marking the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War opened on Friday at the Belarusian State Museum of the History of the Great Patriotic War in Minsk. More than 250 representatives from the Belarusian government and various sectors of society attended the opening ceremony and viewed the photos. Titled "Remembering History, Forging the Future," the exhibition features some 70 precious historical and contemporary images. These photos showcase the Chinese nation's tremendous contributions to the victory of the World Anti-Fascist War, highlight the pivotal role of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in the resistance against Japanese aggression, tell the story of the touching friendship between the Chinese and Soviet people who fought side by side, and demonstrate the fruitful outcomes of all-round practical cooperation between China and Belarus. Fu Hua, president of Xinhua News Agency, said in a video speech that during the World Anti-Fascist War, all forces of justice worldwide, including China and the Soviet Union, stood united against their common foes and fought courageously. They forged a profound friendship with blood and sacrifice, making indelible historical contributions to safeguarding world peace and advancing the cause of human progress. Eighty years on, China and Belarus are carrying forward their historical friendship, jointly upholding international fairness and justice, writing a new chapter in their all-weather comprehensive strategic partnership, and promoting the steady and long-term development of bilateral relations and mutually beneficial cooperation, Fu added. Chinese Ambassador to Belarus Zhang Wenchuan said that the exhibition exposes the heinous crimes committed by Japanese invaders in China, records the history of the unyielding Chinese people's heroic resistance against Japanese aggression under the leadership of the CPC, and reflects the profound friendship between the Chinese and Soviet people who fought side by side. "We should take history as a mirror, draw wisdom and strength from the profound lessons of the World War II and the great victory of the World Anti-Fascist War, firmly oppose all forms of hegemonism and power politics, and work together to build a better future for mankind," he noted. Nikolai Snopkov, first deputy prime minister of Belarus, attended the opening ceremony and delivered a speech, stating that Belarus and China paid a heavy price for the victory of the World Anti-Fascist War. At a time when the number of historical witnesses is dwindling, it is particularly important to hold such photo exhibits to honor history, tell historical truths, and oppose any distortion of history, whitewashing of criminals or desecration of heroes and martyrs, he said. The exhibition, running through Sept. 5, is co-organized by the Chinese embassy in Belarus, Xinhua News Agency's branches in Minsk and China's Jiangsu Province, the China Image Group, in collaboration with the Belarusian State Museum of the History of the Great Patriotic War, and supported by the Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders.
The Star
2 hours ago
- The Star
Portugal protests expulsion of reporters from Guinea-Bissau before election
LISBON (Reuters) -Portugal's government on Friday condemned the expulsion of reporting teams of state news agency Lusa and two African units of broadcaster RTP from Guinea-Bissau in the run-up to a postponed election scheduled to be held in November in the West African country. The Foreign Ministry said in a statement it had "immediately summoned the ambassador of the Republic of Guinea-Bissau in Lisbon for explanations and clarifications" for a meeting that will take place on Saturday. "The Portuguese government strongly condemns the decision of the government of the Republic of Guinea-Bissau to order the removal of Lusa, RTP Africa, and RDP Africa from that country and their respective termination of broadcasts," it said, calling the move "highly reprehensible and unjustifiable". No explanations for the move were provided by either Guinea-Bissau, which announced the expulsion in a government decree earlier on Friday, or Portugal. The representatives of the media outlets have until August 19 to leave the country. Guinea-Bissau's President Umaro Sissoco Embalo said in March he would run for a second term, backtracking on earlier promises to step down and stoking tensions over postponed elections, with his opponents saying that his term expired in February. A dispute over when Embalo's presidential term, which began in 2020, should end has heightened tensions that risk unrest in the former Portuguese colony with a history of military coups. On August 7, Embalo, a former army general, appointed by decree a new prime minister, Braima Camara - the third premier since Embalo took office in 2020 - replacing Rui Duarte de Barros. In March, a political mission of the Economic Community of West Africa States (ECOWAS), deployed to help reach a consensus on how to conduct the election, said it had to leave "following threats by H.E. Umaro Sissoco Embalo to expel it". The presidential and legislative elections are scheduled to be held on November 23. (Reporting by Andrei Khalip in Lisbon and Alberto Dabo in Bissau; Editing by Paul Simao)
The Star
2 hours ago
- The Star
Zelenskiy says Russia continues attacking Ukraine ahead of summit
FILE PHOTO: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy attends a press conference with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (not pictured), on the day they attend a virtual meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump and European leaders on the upcoming Trump-Putin summit on Ukraine, in Berlin, Germany, August 13, 2025. REUTERS/Liesa Johannssen/File Photo
