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Don’t believe everything you read in the media about Japan’s strong anti-immigrant sentiment

Release Date
2025-11-27
Media
the Lowy Institute
Summary
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is moving to tighten regulations on foreign tourists and residents in Japan, calling for stricter immigration policies as part of her political platform and the coalition agreement with the Japan Innovation Party. By January 2026, she has instructed ministries to propose revisions on issues such as unpaid social insurance premiums, visa overstays, land purchases, and illegal logging. Foreigners who fail to pay insurance premiums may face denial of residence status renewals or changes.

Takaichi argues that some foreigners’ “illegal actions” create public anxiety, though she acknowledges Japan’s dependence on foreign labor. Kimi Onoda, the minister overseeing coexistence with foreign nationals, has taken an even tougher stance, stating that the government will create conditions where “foreigners who do bad things no longer exist in Japan.”

According to an Asahi Shimbun survey, 66% support Takaichi’s stricter policies and 56% think Japan needs fewer immigrants and visitors. However, these results may not accurately reflect true public beliefs.

Research shows that, unlike Western societies where anti-prejudice norms discourage people from openly expressing anti-immigrant views, Japan has “pro-prejudice norms.” With a small immigrant population and strong perceptions of ethnic homogeneity, social pressure pushes respondents to express more negative attitudes toward foreigners in public.

A study from the University of Tokyo and Osaka University found significant differences between direct survey responses and list experiments designed to hide individual answers. While 59.2% supported immigration restrictions in direct questions, only 32.6% did so in list experiments. Negative attitudes toward Chinese and South Koreans also fell sharply under anonymous conditions. Even highly educated respondents were not exempt from these norms.

These gaps widen during periods of diplomatic tension or government calls for stricter rules. Recent friction with China—sparked by Takaichi’s Taiwan-related remarks—has fueled anti-Chinese sentiment online and may have inflated survey negativity.

Overall, media surveys likely overstate anti-immigrant sentiment due to social desirability biases unique to Japan. Despite recognizing the need for immigrants to counter demographic decline and labor shortages, Japanese respondents feel social pressure to voice more negative views. The case illustrates the importance of examining survey methodology rather than taking results at face value, including in political approval ratings.
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