Indian Council of World Affairs

Abstract: The recent election in Japan has witnessed ‘migration’ and ‘foreigners’ becoming increasingly salient in domestic politics. This article argues that the prominence of the migration issue has prompted policy shifts and a realigned narrative. 

As Japan welcomes its first female Prime Minister, Sanae Takaichi from the Liberal Democratic Party, the party’s coalition with the Ishin, or Japan Innovation Party, a right-wing political party, implies that there will be a policy shift. There is an expectation that domestic policies will turn more conservative and follow the far-right narrative, at least with respect to migration. At a global level, the perception and debate on migration have largely revolved around the need to limit migration. Political leaders, in the Trumpian age, have been explicit in their demands to stop migrants from arriving and strengthening border policies. 

Background of Migration 

Historically, Japan has been hesitant to accept that it is a destination country for foreign workers. It has largely positioned itself as an insular nation with immigration being unfavoured in this homogeneous society. The residence requirements in Japan are higher than those of the other OECD countries. However, owing to its high elderly population and domestic labour shortages, Japan has had to reorient its immigration policies. The country has consistently been positioned as a society facing extreme demographic ageing. Its demographic crisis, its rapidly ageing population combined with its low birth rates means that Japan has had to look externally at foreign workers to meet the domestic demands. In 2024, Japan’s birth rate plummeted to 1.15, a record low. ^[i]

Worker shortages are not a recent phenomenon but have a long history in Japan. Since the 1980s, Japan could no longer find workers willing to do the jobs identified under the rubric of 3-Ds (dirty, dangerous and demeaning)[ii]. Despite requiring workers for these low-skilled jobs, immigration policy actively discouraged settlement of foreign workers, and the government further tightened immigration regulations in the 1990s.

Japan's inclination towards short-term foreign workers was realised with the introduction of the Technical Intern Training Program (TITP) in the 1990s. This programme was primarily designed as a work-training initiative that offered opportunities for foreigners in Japan. As worker shortages became more pronounced, the worker recruitment policy was expanded. Under this programme, agreements have been signed with Vietnam (2017), Cambodia (2017), India (2017) and Indonesia (2019), among others. However, reports of unfair wages and unsafe working conditions have been prevalent, leading to the government pledging closer monitoring. This programme was recently amended, and a “Training Work Program” replaced the previous one, with its implementation pending till 2027.[iii]

Japan has also introduced a “Specified Skilled Workers Program”, which provides a pathway for long-term stays for workers in certain identified sectors. It has also loosened regulations pertaining to foreign workers’ visas for key sectors like manufacturing, agriculture, and caregiving. Still, despite its loosening of regulations, there are ample reports of foreign workers exposing the inadequacy of the government in ensuring their well-being through inadequate efforts at integration.

Apart from recruitment programmes primarily aimed at foreign workers fulfilling the worker shortages and then leaving, Japan has been highly resistant to asylum and refugee flows. For instance, in 2015, despite receiving about 7,500 refugee applications, only 27 of them were successful.[iv] The main relaxation in Japan’s immigration policies is directed towards high-skilled professionals, with the public also approving migration in this corridor.

Recent Developments

The political elites in Japan are combining distinct categories of foreign nationals, such as migrant workers, tourists, refugees, and permanent residency seekers, under one umbrella term, "foreigners”. This conflation of different categories of foreign nationals, with some seeking protection and others seeking employment, means that different policy responses are also being merged into one political narrative, underpinned by an overall discomfort with and opposition to foreigners. This tendency to conflate different categories of migrants into the rubric of “foreign nationals” is prevalent in Japan and has gained prominence in recent times. The resurgence of “foreigners” or “foreign nationals” labels comes as Japan opens itself up to both tourists who want to visit Japan and low and medium-skilled migrant workers who fulfil the labour market shortages. All foreign nationals are clubbed under one head, and the tolerance for foreigners has noticeably declined.

Migration’s significance in this election and for the newly elected government is evident in the new Prime Minister’s campaign speech, wherein more than half of the speech focused on foreign nationals.^[v] Prime Minister Takaichi has heavily campaigned on restricting irregular migration and also restricting the ability of foreign nationals to buy property in Japan. Throughout the election period, the focus was on eliminating the unruly behaviour of foreign nationals and the need to strictly monitor them.

The new Prime Minister’s hardline approach to migration has gained her electoral support amid the phenomenon of rising anti-immigration sentiments and a cost-of-living crisis, which has also been perceived as being caused by foreign nationals. This anti-immigration sentiment is rooted in concerns about the increasing number of foreign residents. The latest data on foreign residents in Japan puts it at approximately 3.77 million, an unprecedented figure for Japan.^[vi] Japan’s Immigration Services Agency has revealed that this has been the third consecutive year with an increase in foreign population, with an average of 10.5 per cent annual rise. Moreover, a sharp increase in tourism figures in the post-pandemic setting has also made the domestic population uneasy because of Japan’s history of tough immigration policies. The domestic population is finding it difficult to reconcile with the increase in tourists, finding their cities and shrines as crowded places.

Prime Minister Takaichi’s tough stance can also be traced back to ensuring that the Sanseito, a far-right populist political party that has seen success due to its anti-immigration discourse, cannot gain more ground. In July 2025, Sanseito saw huge success in the election of Japan’s upper house, prompted by its “Japanese First” campaign.^[vii] Despite limited seats in the lower house, Sanseito won 14 seats in the upper house, marking a significant transition to the mainstream, as it is the first far-right party to exceed ten per cent of the national vote. The party, which gained popularity through YouTube, has repeatedly warned of a “silent invasion” of immigrants. Sanseito’s popularity is understood to come from a frustrated populace, who have voiced concerns about tourists and migrants driving up the prices amidst a faltering economy. Concerns about foreigners taking up jobs of natives have increased. It also serves as a judgement on the existing leadership’s economic policy and inflation issues.

Following Sanseito’s win, other political parties have also experienced a shift towards the right, recognising that immigration has become a key concern for the electorate. This has been reflected in the realignment of the narrative on migration. For instance, the then Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru announced the launch of a task force, the “Office for the Promotion of a Society of Harmonious Coexistence with Foreign Nationals”, to deal with crimes committed by foreign nationals. Thus, there is a linking of migrants with crime, supplementing the anti-migration debate. Additionally, there was a declaration to move towards ensuring Japan is a country with “zero illegal foreigners”. This anti-migrant tirade and the public’s opposition to foreigners has already resulted in the closure of a cultural exchange initiative between four Japanese municipalities and African nations.

Concluding Remarks

The rhetoric surrounding foreign nationals is increasingly turning negative in Japan. It is also evident, however, that Japan’s demographic trends present challenges for its worker population. While Japan may not want to welcome foreign nationals, considering them threats to the economy and society, insular policies wary of interaction with other people are harmful in the long run, though not necessarily in the context of worker shortages. Attitudinal and behavioural changes are also required towards jobs described as 3Ds left for foreign workers to tend to. Policy solutions that adjust the economy to cater to social requirements and conditions need to be advocated rather than the other way around, i.e. society adjusting to the needs of the economy. Further, the conflation of different categories of migrants is detrimental to policymaking, as different categories require different policy approaches.

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*Yashna Agarwalla, Research Associate (CMMDS), Indian Council of World Affairs, New Delhi.
Disclaimer: Views expressed are personal.

Endnotes

^[i] Chris Lau, Mai Takiguchi and Soyon Nishioka. “Why has Japan set up a task force to deal with foreigners?” CNN, July 17, 2025. https://edition.cnn.com/2025/07/17/asia/japan-foreigner-taskforce-election-intl-hnk.

[ii] The 3-Ds phrase is associated with the Japanese concept of the 3K’s - “Kitanai”, “Kiken”, and “Kitsui” which translates to dirty, dangerous and difficult. This phrase is now reflected in the ILO documents as well.

[iii] OECD. “International Migration Outlook 2025” OECD, November 3, 2025. https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/2025/11/international-migration-outlook-2025_355ae9fd/full-report/japan_ccc89a8d.html.

[iv] David Green. “As Its Population Ages, Japan Quietly Turns to Immigration”. March 28, 2017. https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/its-population-ages-japan-quietly-turns-immigration.

^[v] Justin McCurry. “Sanae Takaichi: Japan’s first female PM, who cites Thatcher as an influence” The Guardian, October 21, 2025. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/oct/04/sanae-takaichi-the-new-leader-of-japans-liberal-democratic-party-who-cites-thatcher-as-an-influence.

^[vi] Nippon. “Japan’s Foreign Population Hits 3.8 Million”. March 28, 2025. https://www.nippon.com/en/japan-data/h02350/?utm_source=chatgpt.com.

^[vii] Tim Kelly and John Geddie. “’Japenese First’ party emerges as election force with tough immigration talk” Reuters, July 22, 2025. https://www.reuters.com/world/japanese-first-party-emerges-election-force-with-tough-immigration-talk-2025-07-21/.