Japan launches government body to address citizens’ concerns over foreigners
TOKYO — Japan on Tuesday set up an administrative body aimed at easing citizens’ concerns over the rapid rise in the number of foreigners in recent years, as policies concerning non-Japanese residents emerge as a key issue in Sunday’s national election.
The body would serve as a cross-agency “control tower” to respond to issues such as crime and overtourism 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 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 (LDP) 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,” Mr. 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. — Reuters
