Justice minister voices concerns over illegal Turkish residents
Justice Minister Keisuke Suzuki expressed 'grave concern' over illegal Turkish residents in Japan and called on the country's ambassador to help resolve the matter.
During a meeting at the Justice Ministry on July 30, Suzuki told Ambassador Oguzhan Ertugrul that the number of Turkish overstayers relative to legal residents is high compared with other nationalities.
While acknowledging historically friendly relations between Japan and Turkey, Suzuki requested help in addressing the issue, saying, 'We are taking strict measures against illegal residency in response to growing public anxiety.'
Ertugrul said Turkey has been encouraging its citizens already in or planning to stay in Japan to adhere to Japanese laws and social customs.
It is highly unusual for a justice minister to directly raise immigration and residency management issues with the ambassador of a specific country and make the exchange public.
The meeting was requested by the Turkish Embassy as part of a courtesy call by Ertugrul, who took office at the end of last year, according to the ministry. It was originally scheduled for March.
Only the beginning of the meeting was open to the media.
There were about 7,700 legal Turkish residents in Japan as of the end of December, according to the Justice Ministry.
In addition, 1,372 Turkish nationals were illegally staying in the country as of Jan. 1, making Turkey the country with the 10th largest number of overstayers.
With a ratio of roughly one overstayer against five legal residents, Turkey tops the list of the 10 countries and regions with the largest numbers of overstayers, ministry officials said.
Thailand, which had the second largest number of overstayers, had a similar ratio, with 11,337 overstayers against about 65,400 legal residents.
Suzuki announced in May that Japan would not tolerate overstayers by implementing a 'zero illegal residents' program.
The plan calls for strict pre-entry screening, accelerated refugee recognition procedures and deportation of individuals applying for refugee status three or more times. Those with serious criminal records also face deportation.
Speaking at the Japan National Press Club on July 30, Suzuki said the issues concerning refugees and immigrants could lead to social division and political turmoil in Japan, as has been the case in Europe.
'In the Upper House election, debates over foreigners received significant attention and unverified information spread over social media and elsewhere, raising public anxiety,' he said.
Suzuki said Japan must promote a free and open society, given its shrinking population.
'If the public feels anxiety or unfairness, we cannot gain their support,' he said, emphasizing the importance of realizing a society where Japanese live in 'orderly coexistence' with foreigners, a goal advocated by the government and the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.
In a development concerning Turkish residents in Japan, Saitama Governor Motohiro Ono suggested on July 28 that the central government temporarily suspend the mutual visa waiver agreement between Japan and Turkey.
Kurds with Turkish nationality, many of whom are seeking refugee status, have formed large communities in and around the cities of Kawaguchi and Warabi in the prefecture.
Ono said prefectural residents have expressed concerns about the large number of Turkish nationals repeatedly applying for refugee status.
Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya told The Asahi Shimbun on July 30 that the government is enhancing dialogue and cooperation with Turkey to prevent crimes and address concerns over immigration and residency management.
He said suspending the mutual visa waiver agreement will have a negative impact on relations with Turkey, in politics, economy, culture, tourism and other areas, by stalling corporate activities and slowing people-to-people exchanges.
'We do not believe the situation warrants immediate suspension,' Iwaya said. 'We will continue to engage in thorough discussions with Turkey.'
Kurds of Turkish nationality have settled in Saitama Prefecture since around 1990, and the current population is estimated at several thousand.
Denied refugee status, many Kurds have been provisionally released from detention at immigration facilities.
Since around 2023, discriminatory and prejudiced rhetoric against Kurds in Japan has rapidly spread, particularly on social media.
(This article was written by Yuki Nikaido, Azusa Kato and Akira Nemoto in Istanbul.)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yomiuri Shimbun
37 minutes ago
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Trump Executive Order Sets No Date to Cut Auto Tariff;U.S., Japan Begin to Diverge on What Agreement Means
Uncertainty has yet to be dispelled over details of an agreed-upon automobile tariff to be imposed on Japan by the United States. An executive order issued Thursday by the White House to impose a 15% tariff on Japan will place a heavy burden on Japanese companies. But the order did not specify an actual date for when the duty on automobiles will be reduced from the current 27.5% to 15%. The Japanese government has boasted of that reduction as the key result of its recent tariff negotiations with the United States. 'It is so disappointing, as we were hoping that [the auto tariff] would be reduced at the same time as the reduction of the 'reciprocal tariff,'' an executive of a leading automaker said after learning that the executive order issued by U.S. President Donald Trump made no mention of an automobile tariff. Since April, a 27.5% tariff has been levied on automobiles. The recent Japan-U.S. agreement is supposed to reduce the tariff to 15%, but when it will be implemented is uncertain. The car tariff squeezes manufacturers' bottom lines. 'It is becoming a burden day by day,' said a senior automaker official. 'We hope the updated tariff rate will be applied as soon as possible.' Economic revitalization minister Ryosei Akazawa said Friday, 'We will urge [the United States] to take steps to fulfill the agreement as soon as possible.' However, the reciprocal tariff and the car tariff are based on different laws. The United Kingdom waited more than a month to see a lower tariff levied on its cars after reaching an agreement with the United States. Many products affected Meanwhile, the reciprocal tariff on most Japanese exports will be set at 15% from Thursday. 'While the hurdle has been lowered [from the initially announced rate], the impact of the tariff remains unclear,' said Hitoshi Suzuki, president of sake brewery Ichinokura Co. in Osaki, Miyagi Prefecture. Riding a Japanese cuisine boom, Ichinokura has built up its exports to the United States, and the tariff hike comes as a significant blow. Sake was subject to nearly zero tariffs at 3 cents per liter, but that will now rise to 15%. Tariffs on fishery products will also increase. A seafood processing company in Mombetsu, Hokkaido, has doubled its scallop exports to the United States since China imposed an import ban on Japanese seafood products in 2023. 'If we pass on the tariff increase through our prices, customers in the United States may hesitate to buy,' the president of the company said. According to the Japanese government, products with original tariff rates of 15% or higher will continue to be subject to the same tariff rates. This was a special measure agreed upon between the European Union and the United States, and Japan had also agreed to the same mechanism. However, this was not explicitly stated in Thursday's executive order. Even Akazawa, who led the negotiations, told reporters Friday, 'We need to examine the details' of the agreements. No joint document made The lack of a joint agreement document has also made the deal unclear. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in an interview with Fox News on July 23, 'We'll evaluate [Japan's performance] every quarter and if the president's unhappy then we'll boomerang it back to the 25% tariff rate, both on cars and the rest of their products.' Itochu Corp. Executive Vice President Tsuyoshi Hachimura said Friday at a press conference: 'The agreement has not been put into writing, and there is even talk of evaluating [Japan's performance], so nothing has been decided yet. At this stage, it is better not to be too positive.' The government also intends to take domestic measures. 'We will make every effort to mitigate the impact on industry and employment, such as providing financial support,' Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said when he heard opinions from the automobile industry in Tokyo on Thursday. Saisuke Sakai of Mizuho Research & Technologies, Ltd. pointed out uncertainty for companies, saying that the impact on small and medium-sized enterprises would be particularly significant. 'It is necessary for the public and private sectors to work together not only to provide financial support to companies but also to help them shift away from dependence on exports to the United States and develop products with high added value,' Sakai said.
8 hours ago
Japan PM Ishiba Unlikely to Announce View on WWII Soon
News from Japan Politics Aug 2, 2025 22:35 (JST) Tokyo, Aug. 2 (Jiji Press)--Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has decided not to announce his view on World War II on Aug. 15, the 80th anniversary of his country's surrender in the war, sources said Saturday. Ishiba had also considered announcing the view on Sept. 2, the date when Japan signed the surrender document in 1945, but no such announcement is likely to be made that day, senior officials of the government and Ishiba's Liberal Democratic Party said. Ishiba is still seeking an appropriate time to announce his view, which would be based on the results of a review of the war. But some expect that it would be difficult to make such an announcement, which could intensify calls for his resignation that emerged within the LDP following the party's rout in the July 20 election for the House of Councillors, the upper chamber of parliament. Japan had issued a prime minister's statement to mark each of the 50th, 60th and 70th anniversaries of the country's surrender in the war. The tradition could be broken by Ishiba. [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.] Jiji Press
Asahi Shimbun
13 hours ago
- Asahi Shimbun
No message from Ishiba on 80th anniversary of end of war
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba speaks with reporters on Aug. 1 after the start of the extraordinary Diet session. (Takeshi Iwashita) Rather than have his name associated with a historic milestone, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has apparently chosen to face political reality. He has abandoned plans to issue a personal message to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, according to several sources. Having been dealt a devastating blow in the Upper House election July 20 and facing calls from within his Liberal Democratic Party to resign, Ishiba has chosen not to rankle conservative elements in the party that would take umbrage at a fresh interpretation of Japan's role in the war. Tomiichi Murayama blazed the trail in 1995 with a statement backed by his Cabinet and issued in his name on Aug. 15 that expressed 'deep remorse' and offered a 'heartfelt apology' for Japan's 'colonial rule and aggression.' Ten years later, on the 60th anniversary, Junichiro Koizumi issued a statement as prime minister that echoed a similar sentiment. In 2015, Shinzo Abe put a special twist to the statement issued under his name. He noted that Japan has 'repeatedly expressed the feelings of deep remorse and heartfelt apology for its actions during the war' and that the 'position articulated by the previous Cabinets will remain unshakable into the future.' However, he added that, 'We must not let our children, grandchildren, and even further generations to come, who have nothing to do with that war, be predestined to apologize.' Conservative elements in the LDP felt the Abe statement covered all the bases and that no new message was needed. Ishiba had initially envisaged setting up a panel of experts to assess the process that led Japan to invade China and then go to war with other countries. Based on that evaluation, Ishiba had planned to issue a personal message in line with the 80th anniversary observances on Aug. 15. But with growing calls within the LDP for Ishiba to resign, sources reported little progress in choosing the members to serve on the panel. Others felt that if Ishiba, 68, went ahead and issued a message, it would only add fire to calls for him to resign and place the administration itself in jeopardy. Those close to Ishiba said now is not the right time to broach such a delicate issue as historical understanding. Ishiba has previously stated he wanted to weigh the significance of serving as prime minister on the 80th anniversary of the end of the war, leaving open the possibility of a statement in the autumn or later, depending on the state of internal party dynamics.
