Japan has worked hard to attract foreigners to boost its sluggish economy but now the perception there are too many has prompted the creation of a new task force, as competition for votes heats up ahead of Sunday’s national election.
The issue is on the political agenda ahead of the upper house election, in part because of a fringe party promoting “Japanese first” policies, in a nod to the nativist rhetoric of US President Donald Trump. Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba launched the task force – formally named the Office for the Promotion of a Society of Harmonious Coexistence with Foreign Nationals – on Tuesday, citing “crimes or nuisance behaviors committed by some foreign nationals,” as well as “inappropriate use of various” government systems.
The world’s fourth-largest economy has a long history of strict immigration policies, and a strong cultural strain of isolationism. But with a rapidly aging population and plunging birth rates, Japan has been gradually opening up to foreign workers and seeking more international tourists. Pulling up the drawbridge could exacerbate the demographic crisis and jeopardize the tourism industry, experts warn. Shunsuke Tanabe, a sociology professor at Waseda University in Tokyo, said many of the negative beliefs around migration – such as the idea of rising crime – stem from falsehoods and misleading claims from the campaign trail.
“There are visibly more foreigners around; they start to assume that public safety must be getting worse, too,” he said. “As a result, negative campaigns spread on social media resonate with many, leading them to think that parties promising to ‘protect’ society from these imagined threats are the better choice,” he added. shiba’s hand has been forced as the election campaign, entering its final stretch, has focused on anger over irresponsible foreign citizens and unruly tourists, according to political pundits.
Sanseito, a minor right-wing party that has been rallying against immigrants and advancing “Japanese first” policies, has been gaining traction and media coverage.The upstart party is far from being able to compete for a majority, but is projected to win 10 to 15 seats, which could chip away at the majority of Ishiba’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).
The LDP and its coalition partner Komeito last year lost their majority in the lower house, for the first time in 15 years. Ishiba could face further pressure to step down if they lose the upper house this weekend.
“Anti-immigration parties such as the Sanseito are using this as an opportunity to take advantage of public misconceptions, public fears about immigration and about foreigners to take away votes from the LDP,” said Jeffrey Hall, a Japanese studies lecturer at Kanda University of International Studies in Chiba.
Source: Here
