Japan launches government body to address concerns over rapid rise in foreigners
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 labor force. The number of foreign nationals hit a record of about 3.8 million last year, although that is still just 3 percent 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 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.
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