Japan Immigration News

Nishiyama Immigration Service
> Japan Immigration News

Can Japan’s New Leader Afford to Go Hard on Immigration?

Release Date
2025-10-25
Media
Newsweek
Summary
Sanae Takaichi, Japan’s first female prime minister, rose to power from the conservative wing of the Liberal Democratic Party amid growing nationalist sentiment and public unease over immigration. Her ascent reflects Japan’s struggle to balance demographic decline with resistance to greater openness toward foreigners.

As Japan faces severe labor shortages due to a shrinking and aging population, the number of foreign residents has reached a record 3 percent of the total. Yet, an increase in tourism and reports of unruly visitor behavior have fueled anti-foreigner sentiment. Takaichi has capitalized on these feelings, pledging to toughen immigration controls, crack down on visa overstays and illegal work, restrict foreign land ownership—particularly by Chinese nationals—and enforce tighter border management. She has also made unverified claims about rising crime among foreigners, despite data showing a steady decline.

Experts note that while Takaichi’s rhetoric is more hardline, her administration’s policies remain largely consistent with past governments, focusing on control and management rather than integration. Analysts suggest her stance is partly strategic—an effort to prevent right-wing populist parties like Sanseito from outflanking the ruling party.

Critics warn, however, that Japan’s economic and welfare systems are increasingly dependent on foreign labor, and failure to integrate foreign residents could harm the nation’s future. Scholars argue that Takaichi’s leadership lacks a clear vision for coexistence, and that framing immigration as a cultural threat risks leaving Japan unprepared for the demographic challenges ahead.
Tags
Immigration Policy

News Articles including "Immigration Policy"

Released on
Article Title
Tags
2025-10-25
Can Japan’s New Leader Afford to Go Hard on Immigration?(Newsweek)
Immigration Policy
2025-10-23
Onoda says she’ll push Takaichi’s stronger stance on foreigners(The Asahi Shimbun)
Immigration Policy
2025-10-22
Japan’s economy needs foreign workers, not the nationalist approach pushed by its new leader(The Conversation)
Immigration Policy
2025-10-20
“Japanese-First” – The Rise of the Sanseito Party and Anti-Immigration Efforts in Japan(PA Times)
Immigration Policy
2025-10-15
Asia can learn from Europe’s immigration mistakes(Japan Times)
Immigration Policy
2025-10-15
Japan’s baby boom among foreign-born population spotlights demographic timebomb(The Guardian)
Immigration Policy
2025-10-12
Takaichi’s victory delays Japan’s reckoning with immigration reform(EAST ASIA FORUM)
Immigration Policy
2025-09-26
LDP presidential hopefuls take hard-line stance on immigration(Japan Times)
Immigration Policy
2025-09-23
Vietnamese Immigration in Japan: Finding the Key to Successful Integration(JAPAN Forward)
Immigration Policy
2025-09-19
Nippon Ishin urges cap on foreign residents in Japan(Japan Times)
Immigration Policy
2025-09-19
‘Japanese first’: the mini-Trump on the rise as population crisis bites(Guardian)
Immigration Policy
2025-09-16
Japan needs an immigration debate, not social media myths(TAIPEI TIMES)
Immigration Policy
2025-09-12
Japan needs an immigration debate, not social media myths(Japan Times)
Immigration Policy
2025-09-03
Osaka protests are just the start of Japan’s immigration backlash(UnHerd)
Immigration Policy
2025-09-01
Japan to review long-term foreign resident policy as population ratio rises(The Mainichi)
Immigration Policy
2025-08-29
Japan to launch broad review of immigration policies amid rise in foreign nationals(Japan Times)
Immigration Policy
2025-08-29
Fearing Europe-style rifts, Japan weighs tighter immigration(The Asahi Shimbun)
Immigration Policy
2025-07-31
Japan governors' group seeks measures to accept foreigners, build multicultural society(The Mainichi)
Immigration Policy
2025-07-25
Foreign residents in Japan fret over immigration backlash(NIKKEI Asia)
Immigration Policy
2025-07-23
Ignore the election hype, foreign residents are here to stay(Japan Times)
Immigration Policy
2025-07-20
Japan's voters head to polls with inflation, immigration in focus(NIKKEI Asia)
Immigration Policy
2025-07-20
Japan: Far-right parties play immigration card ahead of vote(DW)
Immigration Policy
2025-07-19
Japan’s minority gov’t faces election setback over inflation, immigration(ALJAZEERA)
Immigration Policy
2025-07-19
Ishiba walks a political tightrope on immigration(EAST ASIA FORUM)
Immigration Policy
2025-07-18
“Japanese First” politics creates fears for Indonesians(New Mandala)
Immigration Policy
2025-07-16
'Japanese First' party shakes up election with alarm over foreigners(Reuters)
Immigration Policy
2025-07-16
Japan said at a ‘crossroads’ over party policies on foreign residents(The Asahi Shimbun)
Immigration Policy
2025-07-15
Japan’s right-wing fringe is no MAGA or reform movement(Japan Times)
Immigration Policy
2025-07-15
Immigration becomes election issue in Japan amid tough economy(NIKKEI Asia)
Immigration Policy
2025-07-13
Foreigners at center of debate in Japan's tense election campaign(The Mainichi)
Immigration Policy
2025-07-08
The Rising Force of Japan’s Ultra-Nationalist, Anti-Immigration Sanseito Party(The Diplomat)
Immigration Policy
2025-06-16
Immigration in Japan: Accepting Foreigners to Secure a Workforce(JAPAN Forward)
Immigration Policy
2025-06-12
Cultural anxiety and Japan's immigration pains(Japan Times)
Immigration Policy
2025-06-12
‘Invasive Species’? Japan’s Growing Pains on Immigration(Bloomberg)
Immigration Policy
2025-06-10
Immigration Agency to Tighten Visa Requirements for Foreign Entrepreneurs; Move Eyed as Chinese Nationals Increasingly Obtain Status(Japan News)
Immigration Policy,Business Manager
2025-06-09
Japan to Tighten Immigration, Welfare for Foreigners, and Land Rules(JAPAN Forward)
Immigration Policy
2025-06-06
Japan to Deny Entry of Foreigners with Unpaid Medical Bills(nippon.com)
Immigration Policy
2025-06-05
Japan’s Immigration Policy and the Kurdish Population(Foreign Policy Research Institute)
Kurdish,Immigration Policy
2025-05-28
Institutional barriers hinder the integration of Japan’s foreign population(EAST ASIA FORUM)
Immigration Policy
2025-04-25
Associations voice greater need to recognize Japan’s foreign residents(KYODO NEWS)
Coexistence,Immigration Policy
2025-01-28
Immigration Systems in Labor-Needy Japan and South Korea Have Evolved—but Remain Restrictive(Migration Policy Institute)
Immigration Policy
2024-12-29
Breaking Down Japan's Immigration System From a Former Insider's Perspective(JAPAN Forward)
Immigration Policy
2024-12-15
Indian-born CEO of Japanese company says nation needs immigration to thrive(Japan Times)
Immigration Policy
2024-11-23
Japan Job Market Points to Shift on Immigration(Newsweek)
Immigration Policy, Specified Skilled Worker
2024-11-14
Opening Borders For Workers: Abe’s Profound Influence On Japan’s Immigration Regime(eurasia review)
Immigration Policy
2024-11-08
Local approaches to Japan's immigration challenges(EAST ASIA FORUM)
Immigration Policy
2024-10-30
Improved Immigration: Japan’s Solution to Its Population Crisis(Harvard International Review)
Immigration Policy
2024-09-30
FY2024 International FPCJ Webinar: Population Decline and Immigration Policy: How Can Japan Become a Country To Be Chosen?(Foreign Press Center Japan)
Immigration Policy,Technical Intern Training,Training employment,Specified Skilled Worker
2024-09-15
For investors, intellectuals leaving China, it's Japan -- not US -- that's the bigger draw(The Mainichi)
Immigration Policy,China
2024-07-28
Less than half of foreign workers want to remain in Japan's countryside(NIKKEI Asia)
Immigration Policy