Human rights NGOs condemn rise in anti-immigrant rhetoric ahead of Upper House vote

9 comments

1. Ah, campaign season in Japan, when politicians bravely take a stand against that most dangerous threat to society: the part-time foreign factory worker. Because when housing costs, wages, and childcare systems are in crisis, obviously the problem is… too many foreign faces on the train, right? Clearly, the 2% of the population working low-wage jobs and paying taxes are the ones secretly controlling everything!

   Look, it’s true: a lot of people are frustrated. Over-tourism is real. Neighborhoods are changing. The convenience store now stocks halal bentos and has a sign with all languages by the ATM. But here’s the thing: that’s not invasion. That’s reality, and in many cases, survival. Japan’s economy needs foreign workers more than ever, and the country’s been quietly relying on them for decades. It just doesn’t like to talk about it. And let’s not pretend these campaign slogans are about policy. “Japanese First”? “No preferential treatment for foreigners”? It’s recycled anxiety dressed up as nationalism. Foreigners don’t get to vote and can’t run for office. But sure, let’s blame them for everything from traffic to cultural erosion.

   So yes, over-tourism is a problem. Yes, integration is hard. But treating foreigners like walking threats isn’t the solution, it’s just another excuse not to fix the real issues.

2. For some reason, whenever people criticize foreigners who exploit legal loopholes or commit various crimes, or call for stricter punishment, there’s always a crowd ready to twist it into “xenophobia” or “discrimination.” Funny how that works.

3. It’s really unbelievable how a country whose main problem is a chronic shortage of young labor wants to kick out the group that helps with exactly that problem.

   *country -> so many parties in a country 

4. The irresponsible way the government is approaching the topic of foreigners these days is rubbing me the wrong way, particularly with the frequency they and the media have been pushing narratives that greatly misrepresent the number and severity of crimes committed by foreign residents, where quite a few of them fall more into offences, that while should be a focus for improved policy and response, doesn’t need a national stage to brand the vast majority of law abiding and respectful foreign population Japan does have.

   In the grand scheme of things the foreign population makes up only 3% of the total population here, and is mostly concentrated in the Tokyo area, with of course bigger cities and some pockets around the country also having their portions of foreign communities.

   There has been growing discontent in terms of adaptation and assimilation of new foreign residents, particularly those being brought in in droves as low skill laborers or for language schools, and although there have been inconveniences to local residents and disturbances in way of life (which the government has hardly made any effort on improving on), they are instead increasingly branded as potential criminals, a drain on society, and should exist on a lower tier of the criminal system as well in public perception.

   There is room for improvement here, from all parties, but the current course of action seems to be to just come down on everyone hard, for a relatively minor number of infringements, all while not taking any positive action to help individuals make transitions into better members of society here.

   But hey, it helps keep the public’s attention away from real economic matters, cost of goods, government scandals, and inaction in government policy.

5. How come nobody told me about this preferential treatment? Where do I go to get it?

6. I wish people would stop using the word ‘human rights’. Japanese, the Nazis of Asia, got nuked (twice) and became radioactive BBQ. They weaponize ‘human rights’ to push the narrative that they’re the victims. Japanese were never victims — they were mass murderers. Imagine a goose shouting, “What massacre?”. The goose is Japanese and weaboos. I’m so sick of this crap.

7. Kinda copycatting trump’s America!? Why nations can’t be original!?

8. NGOs sidestep national sovereignty and democratic process, by definition. Headline should read “Pro-immigration, anti-democratic NGOs attack Japanese democracy and human rights.

   NGOs support and facilitate the illegal overstay of Kurds, etc.

9. Anti immigration is perfectly fine though, and I say that as an immigrant. As long as it isn’t race discriminative what is the issue?