Over the past 50 years, Japan’s government has made a near 180-degree shift in its attitude towards immigration, evolving from strict control to gradual openness. In response to aging demographics and labor shortages, Japan has had to acknowledge the critical role of foreign workers and adjust its policies accordingly. These changes include relaxing visa requirements, promoting foreign employment, and improving social security systems. However, Japan’s conservative society faces new challenges posed by the increase in immigrants. The road to social integration and cultural adaptation is long and uncertain. Can mutual adaptation between foreign immigrants and Japanese society ultimately succeed? Latest.com provided an overview of the country’s shift in attitude toward immigration and its policy development over the past half-century.
Half a Century of Transformation in Japan’s Immigration Policy
In recent years, the topic of “immigrating to Japan” has frequently appeared in both domestic and international media. However, the first wave of immigration to Japan occurred 30 years ago.
According to Mainichi Shimbun, the largest number of immigrants to Japan between 1990 and today have come from South Korea and North Korea, followed by China, with increasing numbers from Brazil and the Philippines. Major changes to Japan’s immigration policy also occurred in the 1990s.
Chieko Ueyanagi, an emeritus professor at Hosei University, explains in her paper “Post-War Changes in Japan’s Immigration Policy” that the current system for receiving foreign workers is known as the “1990 system.” This system was shaped by the 1989 revisions to the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act and the 1993 establishment of the Technical Intern Training Program. The system’s predecessor, however, was the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act of 1972, introduced when Japan was at a turning point in deciding whether to accept refugees.
After the Vietnam War, Indian refugees, referred to as “boat people,” sought entry to Japan but were denied, which drew heavy domestic and international criticism. During this time, Japan’s population began to decline, yet its economy entered a period of rapid growth, leading to the first labor shortages and a demand for foreign workers.
Despite the growing demand for labor, Japan’s government maintained a cautious approach to immigration, leading to a surge in illegal immigration during the 1980s and 1990s. In response, Japan opted for a short-term labor migration policy to meet the demand for low-skilled workers without fully opening its labor market. One approach was to allow overseas Japanese descendants to return to Japan for three-year work terms. By 1993, approximately 150,000 descendants, mostly from Brazil and Peru, had returned to work in Japan. Another strategy was expanding the trainee program, which allowed foreign trainees to work in Japan under an internship system. However, these trainees were paid stipends instead of wages and were not protected by Japan’s labor laws, leading to unfair conditions that later prompted more humane reforms under the “1990 system.”
Rapid Growth in Immigrant Numbers
As of March 2023, data from Japan’s Immigration Services Agency showed that the number of foreign residents in Japan reached nearly 3.42 million, a 10.9% year-on-year increase, setting a new record. Among them, about 3.13 million held medium- to long-term residency. The largest nationalities were Chinese, followed by Vietnamese and Koreans. The number of permanent residents also reached 891,600.
By region, Tokyo remains the most immigrant-dense area, with 663,400 foreign residents in 2023, an increase of 67,200 year-on-year. Aichi and Osaka prefectures also have over 300,000 foreign residents each. Kanagawa and Saitama rank fourth and fifth, with 267,500 and 234,700 foreign residents, respectively.
Is Japan Ready for the Wave of Foreign Immigration?
Immigration is a two-way process. On one side, foreign immigrants are willing to come to Japan, and on the other, Japan has shown a welcoming attitude.
“We need to build a society where foreigners can coexist with us,” said Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. According to Nikkei, in a government meeting held in March 2023, Kishida emphasized the goal of accepting 400,000 foreign students by 2033, with a target of raising the employment rate of these graduates in Japan to 60%.
Although this target is still far from the 98% employment rate of Japanese graduates, the government is working hard to retain foreign talent. Japan is also lowering the barriers for foreign entrepreneurs, such as reducing capital requirements and offering two-year stays if business plans are approved.
Japan’s government recently decided to replace the long-standing Technical Intern Training Program with a new “Skilled Worker Program,” aiming to pave the way for more long-term foreign laborers. However, Japan faces increasing competition for labor from countries in East and Southeast Asia, where wages have risen, making it harder for Japan to attract workers from these regions.
Can Foreigners Integrate into a Traditionally Closed Japanese Society?
The question of whether Japan is exclusionary toward foreigners has long been debated. The Technical Intern Training Program, which has been criticized for poor working conditions and the mistreatment of foreign workers, has added to Japan’s image of being unwelcoming.
In 2019, Japan revised the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act, planning to bring in 345,000 foreign workers over five years, a move seen as a de facto immigration policy, despite the government’s insistence otherwise.
Shunsuke Tanabe, a professor at Waseda University, argues in his article on modern Japanese exclusionism that it is inaccurate to say that the Japanese are universally exclusionary. His research from 2009, 2013, and 2017 shows a growing positive public perception of the economic contributions of foreigners, alongside a declining belief that foreigners are taking jobs from Japanese citizens. However, there remains a common perception that foreigners negatively impact public safety.
According to a 2024 Asahi Shimbun poll, 62% of respondents supported the acceptance of foreign workers in industries with labor shortages, up from 44% in a similar poll conducted six years ago.
Japan is also taking measures to integrate foreigners into local communities. In Yoshino Town, Nara Prefecture, for example, free Japanese language classes are offered as a platform for interaction between foreign immigrants and local residents. Similar initiatives are available across Japan, with the government allocating ¥700 million in 2023 to support such programs.
In summary, Japan is balancing its open-arms approach with the need to ensure a smooth integration process, improving social security systems, and making efforts to welcome foreign laborers as full-fledged members of society.
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