Tokyo.- Immigration is one of the main topics of political debate ahead of the elections to the Upper House of the Japanese Parliament on July 20th, following the rise of minority parties that want to toughen regulations on foreign residents to
"protect the rights of the Japanese".
The issue has forcefully entered the electoral campaign, driven mainly by the rise of parties that promote an openly xenophobic discourse, and the narrative that links crime and immigration has even been partially adopted by the ruling party of Shigeru Ishiba.
Some far-right parties are gaining support among voters by presenting foreigners as people "who do not respect the laws," a 32-year-old man residing in Tokyo told EFE during a rally of the Japan Conservative Party.
These parties use simple but forceful slogans like Sanseito's: "Japanese first," explained to EFE university professor Jeffrey J. Hall, specializing in Japanese studies at Kanda University of International Studies.
Founded in 2020, Sanseito has made intensive use of social networks such as X and YouTube to spread conspiracy theories and xenophobic misinformation, noted Hall, who highlighted that this has allowed them to build a nationwide follower base and gain voters in a context of inflation and expectations of tax increases that generates social discontent.
Their leader, Sohei Kamiya, has stated that globalization is "the reason for Japan's poverty", claiming that foreigners are buying land and shares of Japanese companies, and that the number of foreign workers has grown excessively.
For his part, former novelist and leader of Japan's Conservative Party, Naoki Hyakuta, maintains that foreign workers "disrespect Japanese culture, ignore the rules, assault Japanese people and steal their belongings".
The rise of these positions is amplified by social media, where it is common to find messages of rejection towards foreigners, spread by young people and adults who choose to get informed through digital media instead of traditional ones.
"Japanese television networks are legally obligated to maintain political neutrality during elections, so their coverage is usually quite boring. In contrast, YouTube channels show extreme political bias and can get a large number of views when they promote sensationalist messages against foreigners," said Jeffrey J. Hall.
Ishiba's Party Fuels Immigration Debate
The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) of Prime Minister Ishiba promoted policies during Shinzo Abe's term (2012-2020) that increased the arrival of immigrants to Japan, considering them necessary to fill vacancies in some key sectors.
However, polls show that the Japanese are reluctant to mass immigration and blame this conservative party for the increase in the foreign population and the massive arrival of tourists that Japan is experiencing.
"There are too many (foreigners)," highlighted a 46-year-old woman who previously supported the PLD but has stopped doing so because "since Abe died, a lot has changed."
Faced with this situation, and in line with other conservative formations globally, the PLD has shifted its migratory stance to the right with the intention of containing the advance of far-right parties, according to Hall.
In recent weeks, the Japanese government's spokesperson, Yoshimasa Hayashi, has said that it is "essential" to have foreign workers "to achieve economic growth", although he specified that some foreigners "commit crimes and annoying acts, and take advantage of public systems inappropriately, causing concern and a feeling of injustice in society, which is why it is a priority issue for Japan's policies".
As part of that strategy, the Japanese government launched this Tuesday a special office within the Cabinet Secretariat to address "issues" related to foreign residents and channel the concerns of citizens, including allegations of disproportionately high crime rates and alleged abuses of the social security system.
NGOs denounce xenophobic messages
Eight organizations dedicated to defending the rights of foreigners and refugees have denounced that several parties have included xenophobic messages in their electoral campaigns such as "zero illegal foreigners" or "Japan first", they said at a press conference on July 8th.
These entities stated that foreigners do not receive preferential treatment in Japan and called those messages false and unfounded.
In the joint statement issued that day, they called on political parties and their candidates to stop their electoral campaigns based on xenophobia.
The elections to the Upper House on Sunday are of special importance for the Liberal Democratic Party, which seeks to retain the majority it holds with its partner, Komeito, after the defeat in the Lower House last October.
Spanish
