Is the town you live in a place where everyone can live comfortably?

As of the end of June last year, about 3.22 million foreign nationals lived in Japan, a record high, according to government statistics.

With the nation grappling with such demographic challenges as a declining birthrate, an aging population and a decreasing population in rural areas, there is a growing trend to seek workers from other countries.

Some researchers compare what is happening now in Japanese society to radical changes the nation went through at the end of the Edo Period (1603-1867) and after World War II, and call the current situation a “new period of opening the country.”

The technical intern training program, which is second only to permanent residents in terms of the number of foreign nationals with residency status, is being overhauled this year. The reform of the program is expected to lead to the formal start of accepting non-skilled workers for permanent residency.

The question the nation should ask itself is what it should do to create a society where people with different backgrounds support each other, transcending differences in nationality and ethnicity.

PERSON NEXT TO YOU

In Aichi Prefecture, home to the largest number of technical intern trainees in Japan, Akitoshi Omi, 59, a Catholic priest, offers support to young foreigners with various religious and linguistic backgrounds. Many of them struggle with the language barrier and personal relationships.

He collaborates with support groups and lawyers, sometimes talking with foreign workers’ employers to help resolve the issues that trouble them.

Father Omi came to Japan in 1984 as a Vietnamese refugee. Although he immersed himself in Japanese language lessons for three months at a government-sponsored reception facility, he was initially unable to understand even simple phrases such as a lunch call, “Hey, everyone, it’s mealtime,” in the Osaka factory where he was employed.

Encouraged by supportive individuals, he went on to study at Nanzan University in Nagoya, became a priest and acquired Japanese nationality. Now, he supports troubled people using both Japanese and English languages as well as Vietnamese.

Omi has felt a deep sense of loneliness in the people he has spoken with. He wants employers and neighbors to show interest in where these foreigners came from, what they eat and what language they speak.

“It would make things more enjoyable for both sides,” he hopes.

The labor shortages in the agriculture, fisheries and manufacturing sectors, which became serious after COVID-19 border restrictions halted new entries during the pandemic, highlighted how much this society relies on foreign workers.

The technical intern program, long criticized for human rights violations such as long working hours and sexual harassment, is about to be thoroughly revamped to place more emphasis on protecting the rights of the trainees.

In three years, it will transition to a new program based on the “specified skills” visa status. The new program will lay the groundwork for a more stable life for foreign workers, allowing them to live with their families.

ABSENCE OF IMMIGRATION POLICY

Since 2010, there has been a sudden increase in foreign nationals residing in areas outside the major urban areas, where their population used to be relatively small.

This trend was highlighted in a study by Tsuyoshi Tokuda, an associate professor at Otani University, who divided the prefectures into three groups based on the number of foreign residents.

Tokuda found that there are wide differences in how local governments are responding to new challenges related to the trend.

“Japan’s popularity as a work destination is declining and particularly rural areas may soon find themselves in a situation where they cannot get anyone to come even if they ask. What is needed is a consistent national policy that can meet the related needs,” says Tokuda.

The government, which has long maintained the stance of not accepting unskilled laborers, has not proposed a comprehensive immigration policy. It has focused on immigration management based on the residency status system.

More urgent issues for foreign workers, such as labor problems, health care, and children’s education, have primarily been addressed by local governments and private-sector organizations, but there are limits to what they can do.

Some local governments, anticipating a future of decreased population, have been promoting measures to attract foreign workers, such as a multicultural coexistence policy or reception programs.

If coexistence can naturally spread through regional initiatives tailored to specific needs of the regions, that would be good.

On the other hand, it should be the national government’s role to create a social foundation where the rights and dignity of all people living in this nation, including foreign nationals, are respected, regardless of where they reside.

At least a third of the member countries of the United Nations recognize the voting rights of permanent residents in local elections, but this is not the case in Japan.

There are various limitations for foreign nationals in participating in local societies, including being unable to take up certain public duties such as serving as arbitration committee members or local welfare commissioners.

In regional communities and online spaces, various types of discriminatory speech and behavior based on prejudice against people with foreign roots have not been eradicated.

It is vital for the nation to discuss policies that recognize foreigners not as subjects of management, but as partners in building society, before it’s too late.

STARTING WITH ‘EXCHANGING HEARTS’

Language is the foundation for communication and protecting people’s rights.

During the Noto Peninsula earthquake, foreigners were also affected. If they cannot access necessary information, their lives can be put at risk.

Even in normal times, easy access to multilingual information and interpreters in hospitals and government offices contributes to making life safe and comfortable for foreign residents.

In a survey of foreign residents, 70 percent of the respondents expressed a desire for information to be communicated in “easy Japanese.” This means using simple expressions that children learn around the second or third grade of elementary school.

There are things speakers of Japanese can do to help foreign residents become integrated into the social fabric.

In Europe, which has a long history of accepting immigrants, it is common for the government to take responsibility for teaching the official language, with some countries offering hundreds of hours of curriculum for free.

In Japan, volunteer groups and civic organizations have been at the forefront of running local Japanese language classes.

In a belated policy move, the law to promote Japanese language education was established in 2019 and some local governments have started classes with policy support under the law.

There is also a demand for providing materials and equipment that allow people who have difficulty attending classes to study Japanese anywhere.

A law that authorizes Japanese language education institutions and creates a national qualification for Japanese language teachers will be put into effect in April.

We hope that this will be the year that sees the nation embarking on elevating the quality of Japanese language education.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Jan. 16