Japan launches government body to address concerns over foreign nationals
The body will serve as a cross-agency "control tower" to respond to issues such as crime and overtourism involving foreign nationals, 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 aging labor 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 realize a "society of orderly and harmonious coexistence with foreign nationals."
Those measures included adopting stricter requirements for foreign nationals switching to a Japanese driver's license and for buying real estate properties.
"Crimes and disorderly conduct by some foreign nationals, 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 a kickoff ceremony.
Concerns over the influx of foreign nationals, 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 this coming Sunday.
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