Photo/Illutration Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi attends the first meeting of a ministerial council concerning policies on foreign nationals on Nov. 4. (Takeshi Iwashita)

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Nov. 4 stressed that tougher measures concerning foreign nationals are targeted at criminals and rule-breakers--not law-abiding people--and are intended to build an “orderly society of peaceful coexistence.”

“We must not create a situation where foreign nationals who abide by the rules find it difficult to live in our country,” Takaichi said at the inaugural meeting of a ministerial council concerning policies on foreign nationals.

Takaichi strongly advocated measures to deal with the problem of overstayers and unruly foreign nationals in her rise to the prime minister’s post.

“A situation has arisen where citizens feel anxiety and unfairness regarding illegal acts and rule-breaking by some foreign nationals,” Takaichi said at the meeting.

She instructed the council to proceed with a sense of urgency on the “normalization” of systems related to foreign nationals.

Takaichi intends to formulate the direction of policies on foreign nationals in January.

Her proposed measures are wide-ranging, including stricter screening of residency statuses, strengthening efforts to prevent overtourism, and discussing restrictions on land acquisition by foreign nationals.

Some commentators and posters on social media have interpreted her proposals as a complete change in government policy.

However, a government official said most of these measures were already initiated by various ministries and agencies under the previous Ishiba administration.

“The basic approach is to accelerate efforts along the same lines as before,” the official said.

Another government official said, “We will maintain the ‘coexistence’ we have worked on so far and simply add measures for ‘order.’”

Reports of “friction” between foreign nationals, including Kurdish residents in Saitama Prefecture, and local communities spread around 2023.

Xenophobic posts were uploaded on social media, and much criticism was directed at the government’s policy of accepting foreign workers.

In a Diet session in February this year, then Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba was asked about the policy.

“We cannot coexist with foreign nationals who do not follow the rules,” he said.

The government subsequently compiled a “zero illegal residents” plan and established the office for the promotion of an orderly society of coexistence with foreign nationals.

Plans to tighten policies on foreign nationals have advanced rapidly this year.

Pushing that move has been Sanseito, which campaigned on a “Japanese First” platform and make significant gains in the Upper House election in July.

Another leading advocate of a stricter approach has been Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker Kimi Onoda, who was appointed to the Takaichi Cabinet as minister in charge of policies on foreign nationals.

“The prime minister likely entrusts her because their views align,” a source in the prime minister’s office said.

In a news conference after the Nov. 4 meeting, Onoda echoed the sentiment of Takaichi that the plans are not xenophobic.

“If the media portrays our policies as aiming to exclude all foreign nationals, it will discourage those who are genuinely working hard,” Onoda said.

Some within the Takaichi administration have expressed concern that an overemphasis on stricter measures could counter the push for coexistence.

“There’s no one to pump the brakes,” one official said. Another said, “Regulations should not be tightened without considering the actual situation.”

There have also been worries about the coalition agreement between the LDP and Nippon Ishin (Japan Innovation Party), which includes provisions for applying certain limits on the acceptance of foreigners.

Successive administrations have promoted the entry of foreign workers to address labor shortages as Japan’s population continues to shrink.

The number of foreign workers grew from 480,000 in 2008 to over 2.3 million last year.

Starting in 2027, Japan will introduce a new developmental employment system aimed at enabling foreign workers to continue working in the country.

(This article was written by Yuki Nikaido and Yuta Ogi.)

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