Japan Claims Record Foreign Visitors
TOKYO: Japan has seen the most number of foreigners living in the country this year amid growing anti-immigration sentiment as the country wrestles with difficulties created by an ageing and decreasing population.
Data indicated 4.28 million foreigners staying in Japan at the end of June, excluding short-term visitors, the Immigration Services Agency said on Friday.
That’s an increase of 156,000 individuals since the end of last year, and amounts for nearly 3.5 percent of Japan’s total population, based on government projections.
Japan faces a labour deficit at every level, from highly skilled experts to service workers, immigration specialist Toshihiro Menju told AFP.
“With Japan’s population dropping by more than 900,000 a year…there is no option but to depend on foreign workers,” said Menju, a visiting lecturer at Kansai University of International Studies.
He noted that government efforts such as “the use of AI and robotics, and greater (workforce) participation by women and older people cannot fully make up for the shortfall.”
Japanese business has called on the government to formulate a comprehensive policy to help overseas residents.
But rising anti-immigration sentiment has pushed Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to advocate for tougher rules.
Japan this month strengthened its permanent residency criteria, requiring foreigners to have larger annual salaries and more Japanese-language ability.
Sanseito, a party that calls itself “Japan-first” and describes immigration as a “silent invasion,” made big gains in last year’s upper house election.
Foreigners have been wrongly accused on social media of being responsible for a large share of welfare payments and making the streets less safe in Japan.
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