‘Japanese First': PM Ishiba must address anti-foreigner sentiment ahead of Upper House poll

Straits Times

12 hours ago

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– The last thing a country's leader is expected to do is to publicly slag off the proud traditions of their nation.
But Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has caused a stir by seeming to have done just that on July 2, when he described the Japanese language and customs as 'very tedious'.
The remark was made in the context of helping foreigners better assimilate into society and recognising the need to ease immigration policies to plug Japan's growing labour shortfall, given its
falling birthrates and an ageing population .
'We want foreigners to properly learn the 'very tedious' Japanese language and customs – even at the expense of the Japanese government – and only allow in those who follow Japan's laws,' he said, stressing that there is a place for foreigners who respect Japan's traditions.
He was speaking at a debate of the leaders of contesting political parties, held on the eve of Nomination Day for the July 20 Upper House election.
Perhaps it was a backhanded attempt to seem relatable, but it has led to the piling of even more heat on a beleaguered leader who is already facing pressure from all sides.
Veteran lawmaker Ichiro Ozawa of the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDP) criticised Mr Ishiba, saying: 'I cannot sense any reverence for the Japanese language, traditions, or culture. These remarks will offend many citizens and are completely unbecoming of a prime minister.'
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But worse, Mr Ishiba's gaffe plays directly into the hands of the young upstart party Sanseito, which has made 'Japanese First' its campaign slogan and struck a chord with the Japanese public in directly taking a leaf from the playbook of United States President Donald Trump's Make America Great Again movement.
Its 47-year-old leader Sohei Kamiya, who has a juris doctor degree in law, is known for a history of anti-vaccine propaganda but is now fast gaining attention for his anti-foreigner rhetoric.
His party wants to curb foreigner numbers – both immigrants and tourists – and levy heavy taxes on foreign purchases of Japanese land and real estate to prevent Japan from 'becoming an economic colony'.
It has also accused foreigners of fostering crime in Japan.
The party's nationalistic stance has won it backers including former Air Self-Defence Force chief of staff Toshio Tamogami.
'The Trump administration is defending the national interests of Americans, and this wave is spreading to Europe and other places,' Mr Kamiya said at the debate on July 2.
'The Prime Minister does not believe this applies to Japan. People say this as 'far-right' but we do not think so. And since the global trend is changing, Japan should keep up with the times,' he added.
The problem with such rhetoric, even as Mr Kamiya insists the party is 'not xenophobic but just anti-globalism', is that it easily plays to the gallery in Japan, a generally inward-looking nation where just 17.5 per cent of its citizens have passports.
The unfortunate reality is that many Japanese are taught from a young age that their country is 'homogenous' and an 'island nation'. And Mr Kamiya's statements feed into an us-versus-them mentality, at a time when many are suffering from rising costs of living.
Juxtapose that against the ills associated with overtourism and foreigners swooping in to snap up land and real estate assets that
have driven up prices . This is as only 60 per cent of Japanese possess their own homes.
Sanseito has enjoyed a meteoric rise since its establishment in 2020, leveraging the power of social media and controversy.
On YouTube, it has the distinction of being the most-followed political party in Japan, with 353,000 subscribers, where it spews allegations of foreigners getting 'preferential treatment'.
Sanseito leader Sohei Kamiya is now fast gaining attention for his anti-foreigner rhetoric.
PHOTO: REUTERS
According to media surveys, Sanseito now ranks as the third- or fourth-most popular political party in Japan, behind the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), CDP and, sometimes, the Democratic Party for the People.
Mr Kamiya has cited the examples of Singapore and Dubai in saying how his party will prioritise foreign talent as well as transient workers in areas where there is a manpower shortage.
'We want to rebuild Japan so that we can make this country great again,' he said.
Sanseito may still be a small party – it has five lawmakers across the lower and upper houses of Japan's bicameral legislature – but more established parties like the LDP are sitting up and taking note.
Rather than ignoring its statements as inconsequential hot air, the LDP wrote into its campaign manifesto a pledge for 'zero illegal foreigners'.
Under Mr Ishiba, the LDP has vowed to clamp down on foreigners who fail to pay medical bills, taxes and social insurance premiums. The party's more hawkish camp wants to abolish duty-free shopping for tourists altogether, among other things.
Under Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, the Liberal Democratic Party has vowed to clamp down on foreigners who fail to pay medical bills, taxes and social insurance premiums.
PHOTO: REUTERS
While the battle for votes on July 20 is largely centred on the cost of living, with the LDP promising cash handouts and opposition parties
pledging temporary cuts to the sales tax , immigration remains an emotive flashpoint that has drawn supporters and protesters alike to rallies.
Much is at stake, and the ruling coalition of LDP and Komeito is trying to defend its majority in the 248-seat chamber.
A total of 522 candidates are vying for the 125 seats up for grabs. Lawmakers serve a fixed six-year term in the chamber which, unlike the Lower House, cannot be dissolved. A poll is held every three years, for half the chamber's members whose tenures are expiring. There is an additional seat up for election in this cycle to fill a vacancy.
The ruling coalition has 75 uncontested seats, and Mr Ishiba has said his goal is for the bloc to secure a majority by winning at least 50 seats.
If it fails to do so, Japan will face the spectre of a political stalemate – or worse, upheaval – given that Mr Ishiba leads a minority government after the coalition lost its majority in the Lower House in an
October 2024 snap election .
Mr Ishiba has shown
remarkable staying power despite his limp Cabinet support ratings, but he has struggled to tame inflation at home.
Mr Trump's
recent broadsides of Japan as 'very spoiled' in tariff negotiations cannot come at a worse time for him.
Sanseito is fielding 55 candidates and aims to secure a total of six seats in the Upper House. While this election will not unseat the incumbent government, the risk is that the seeds of anti-globalisation are being planted, to be sown in future elections.
That is something Mr Ishiba can combat by better conveying how Japan should be a vanguard for globalisation and an accepting place for all, and demonstrate to its voters how that would be a far better option than isolationism. Japan had gone down that route during the feudal era, which stunted its technological, economic and social progress.