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Tokyo Weekender
16-07-2025
- Politics
- Tokyo Weekender
Japanese Government Launches New Office To Deal With Unruly Foreigners
On Tuesday, the Japanese government held an inauguration ceremony for a new office that has been set up to respond to issues such as crime and over-tourism involving foreigners. Headed by Assistant Chief Cabinet Secretary Wataru Sakata, the office will serve as a cross agency 'control tower,' with 78 employees, including officials from the Cabinet Office, the Justice Ministry and other bodies . List of Contents: Japanese Government Concerned About 'Conduct by Some Foreigners' The Rise of the Far-Right Yuriko Koike Warns Against 'Hate Speech' Related Posts Japanese Government Concerned About 'Conduct by Some Foreigners' '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,' said Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba at Tuesday's kick-off ceremony. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi, meanwhile, claimed that the establishment of the new office was not an election ploy by the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). How to deal with the increasing number of foreigners in Japan has become a key issue ahead of the House of Councillors election this Sunday. The LDP has promised to 'accelerate efforts toward 'zero illegal foreigners.'' As for the Japan Innovation Party, it has pledged to 'accept foreigners for work purposes only if they can contribute to the growth of the Japanese economy.' Image and logo: Wikimedia The Rise of the Far-Right Immigration has become a hot topic mainly due to the rise of far-right parties. Sanseito, in particular, has been gaining traction with its 'Japanese First' slogan. In a recent survey conducted by The Asahi Shimbun , in which respondents were asked to name their preferred party based on certain policies, the LDP led in everything except 'policy on foreign residents.' Sanseito received the most support in that section. Speaking at the FCCJ two weeks ago, Sanseito leader Sohei Kamiya said the Japanese first approach wasn't 'based on xenophobia.' He added, 'We're not intending to exclude foreign workers who are here legally. We just believe cheap foreign labor's not the right way.' The right-wing party is forecast to win seven seats in electoral districts and about eight proportional representation seats. Other parties have made more controversial statements about foreigners during the election campaign. During a stump speech on July 5, Naoki Hyakuta , leader of the minor right-wing opposition Conservative Party of Japan, said that foreign people 'disrespect Japanese culture, ignore the rules, assault Japanese people and steal their belongings.' A day earlier, NHK Party leader Takashi Tachibana described Black people and people of Islamic background as 'scary. ' Yuriko Koike Warns Against 'Hate Speech' Speaking at her regular news briefing on July 11, Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike warned against 'hate speech and tendencies toward exclusion,' when she was asked about issues related to foreigners in Japan ahead of the House of Councillors election. Currently, foreign nationals account for around 3% of the total population in this country. However, the figure did reach a record high of 3.8 million last year. Related Posts NHK Leader Takashi Tachibana Calls Black and Muslim People 'Scary' Sanseito Leader Says 'Japanese First' Approach Is Not Based on Xenophobia Why Japanese Leftists Are Using Melonpan To Mock Sanseito
South China Morning Post
15-07-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Japan creates new agency to manage foreigner-related issues amid rising tensions
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 overtourism involving foreigners, the government said. Headed by Assistant Chief Cabinet Secretary Wataru Sakata, the office will have 78 employees, including those from the Immigration Services Agency, according to Jiji Press. 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 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 in June proposed measures to realise a 'society of orderly and harmonious coexistence with foreign nationals'.
15-07-2025
- Politics
Japan Govt Launches New Office for Foreigner Policies
News from Japan Politics Jul 15, 2025 14:17 (JST) Tokyo, July 15 (Jiji Press)--The Japanese government on Tuesday launched a new office at the Cabinet Secretariat to oversee policies related to foreign residents. The new office will tackle issues such as crimes and other incidents caused by some foreigners in the country. The government aims to display its resolve to ramp up efforts over the matter, which has become one of the key issues in Sunday's election for the House of Councillors, the upper chamber of Japan's parliament. "It's important to take strict measures against those who don't follow the rules, while reviewing systems that don't sufficiently meet the current situation surrounding foreigners," Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said at a launch ceremony at the prime minister's office. He instructed officials to collaborate across ministries and agencies. The office is headed by Assistant Chief Cabinet Secretary Wataru Sakata and have 78 employees including those from the Immigration Services Agency. [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.] Jiji Press
