Japan creates government taskforce to combat rise in “problematic foreigners”
On Tuesday, July 15th, the Japanese government established a new administrative body aimed at addressing public concerns regarding the recent increase in foreign nationals living in, and visiting, the country.
The move comes less than a week before a national Upper House election this Sunday, where policies concerning non-Japanese residents have become a key issue.
This new body is designed to serve as a cross-agency “control tower” for handling a range of issues, including crime and overtourism involving foreign nationals.
Incidents of poor behaviour by foreign nationals in Japan have been well publicised in recent months, with cases including guns being brought into the country, trespass and criminal damage at temples and even the bizarre assault of vending machines at an airport.
Japan has historically maintained strict immigration laws but has been gradually easing them in recent years to address a shrinking and aging domestic labor force.
This has led to the number of foreign residents reaching a record of approximately 3.8 million last year, though this still represents just three percent of the country’s total population.
The formation of the agency follows a proposal in June from a group of lawmakers within Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party.
Measures called for included stricter requirements for foreign nationals seeking to obtain a Japanese driver’s license or purchase real estate.
At a kickoff ceremony for the new body, Prime Minister Ishiba stated that “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.”
These concerns have resonated with parts of the electorate, reflected in a recent surge in opinion polls for the small populist party, Sanseito, which promotes a “Japanese First” agenda.
Public opinion polls indicate that the LDP and its junior coalition partner, Komeito, are in danger of losing their majority in the upcoming election.
The new government body is likely a reactionary move by the LDP to counter the rise of “anti-immigration” parties in the polls as opposed to anything more sinister longer term, however it does indicate that domestic issues are becoming more contentious with Japan’s electorate.
Source: The Japan Times
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