Foreigners at center of debate in Japan's tense election campaign

The Mainichi

13 hours ago

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Ahead of the July 20 House of Councillors election, policies toward foreigners in Japan have emerged as a central issue, with minor conservative opposition parties gaining momentum amid waning support for the long-dominant ruling bloc.
The rise of the minor nationalist Sanseito party, which advocates stricter controls on foreign residents under its "Japanese First" banner, has pushed the issue to the forefront of political debate, with the party ranking second in popularity in some recent media polls.
Analysts warn that the discussion extends beyond short-term electioneering, saying that if xenophobic rhetoric -- often lacking a factual basis -- gains broader acceptance, it could deepen discrimination and social divisions.
Attention to foreign residents has spread beyond social media, where exclusionary sentiments have occasionally prevailed, amid perceptions that Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's Liberal Democratic Party is expanding efforts to bring more foreigners to Japan.
A series of incidents involving a limited number of foreign nationals, including dangerous driving related to license conversion rules and suspected misuse of public services, appears to be fueling resentment among some Japanese people.
Even major parties, including the LDP, are vying to show stronger control over immigration while balancing calls for coexistence, as Ishiba moves to establish a new command center within the Cabinet Secretariat to address the issue.
The LDP has taken a tougher stance than in past campaigns, vowing in its election pledges to pursue "zero illegal foreigners," while its junior coalition partner Komeito has pledged to improve residence management.
The opposition Democratic Party for the People, which quadrupled its seats from seven in the 465-member House of Representatives in last year's election with support from younger voters, has pushed for tighter regulations on real estate purchases by foreigners.
Meanwhile, the left-leaning Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, the main opposition force, has called for legislation to promote a "multicultural coexistence society" in response to socioeconomic changes driven by a growing foreign resident population.
Sanseito remains the most hardline, calling for an end to welfare support for foreigners, a ban on their employment in the public sector and the establishment of a centralized immigration agency. It also advocates stricter cultural conformity by foreigners in Japan.
The party's leader, Sohei Kamiya, has asserted that globalization is the "reason behind Japan's poverty," saying foreigners are buying up land and company stocks and that the number of workers from abroad has grown excessively due to a labor shortage.
Along with Sanseito, the minor right-wing Conservative Party of Japan has criticized foreigners, with its leader Naoki Hyakuta saying earlier this month that they "disrespect Japanese culture, ignore the rules, assault Japanese people and steal their belongings."
Given that the ruling coalition led by the LDP lacks a majority in the more powerful lower house, the "possibility cannot be ruled out" that Ishiba will cooperate with conservatives to maintain his government, said Akihiko Noda, a researcher at Sompo Institute Plus.
Sanseito, established in 2020, and the Conservative Party of Japan, launched in 2023, each won three seats in the lower house election in late October.
Police data, however, shows that cases involving foreign residents had been declining until 2022, with a slight uptick in 2023. The share of foreign nationals among all reported incidents has held steady at around 2 percent over the past decade.
"As matters surrounding foreigners are debated in the election campaign, it is also important to acknowledge that some claims being circulated are not based on facts," said Takahide Kiuchi, executive economist at the Nomura Research Institute.
On the economic front, the population of Japanese nationals fell by a record 898,000 from a year earlier to 120.3 million as of October 2024, according to a government estimate, highlighting the workforce constraints that are likely to weigh on future economic growth.
"It is necessary to tackle situations where some foreign nationals commit crimes, engage in nuisance behavior or misuse public systems, resulting in feelings of unease and unfairness among members of the public," Kiuchi said.
"At the same time, promoting coexistence with foreigners may be essential to revitalizing Japan's economy and enhancing the lives of its people," he added.
The number of foreign nationals living in the country stood at a record 3.77 million as of the end of 2024, according to the Immigration Services Agency.
By Tomoyuki Tachikawa