Before you guys downvote the post to oblivion or accuse me of "doomscrolling". Let me state a few obvious "facts".
First of all, the majority of Japanese people in Tokyo are busy with their own lives and don't give a shit about foreigners. They don't really care whether the guy working at the conbini store is a foreigner or whether the guy working at the factories is a foreigner.
However, there seems to be quite a number of Japanese people who feel "anxious" especially when foreigners are involved close to their lives.
For example, a foreigner living in the same apartment building as them. Now not all, but there is definitely quite some number of them who feel so.
Second of all, its true that hate from SNS towards foreigners is translating to real life. Majority of people don't act blatantly racist, but there seems to be a growing number of ignorant people who seems to have developed false perceptions of foreigners.
Especially believing false information like, "Foreigners get preferential treatment", "Foreigners dont pay taxes", "Foreigners receive more welfare compared to Japanese people."
And before you guys try to invalidate such claims with, "Oh, my Japanese friends never talked about this. They aren't like that."
Let me give you a similar example: "My friends around me never supported Takaichi. In fact all people around me were opposed or critical of Takaichi." Yet the electio happened and Takaichi stayed in power……
Just because your "social circle" doesn't have it doesn't mean its not happening.
There are obviously both good and bad sides of a society, but to invalidate the legit claims of someone by quoting your own private social circle is really worse, especially in Japanese subs on reddit.
My take on this: There is a growing number of people who are either plain xenophobic and don't want any foreigners at all, regardless of legal or illegal, and there is a growing number of people who believe all the misinformation about foreigners.
What's sad is the fact that people of all age groups are "anxious" about foreigners. Be it ignorance or simply prejudice. Its a fact that there are certainly quite a number of young Japanese who believe that foreigners are harmful for Japan……….
An interesting contrast I found was that rural conservative regions like Shimane, Tottori, Miyazaki, Nagasaki, Kumamoto, Kagoshima are far more welcoming towards foreigners, both tourists and residents alike……
However, I think it has do a lot with the fact that Western Japan was particularly more tolerant than the closed off Eastern Japan historically.
If I were to simply tie it with "rural conservative" it would be a blatant mistake. For example, Akita, Miyagi and Hokkaido obviously has quite a good number of people who are closed off, and while welcoming towards tourists, don't really wish to co-exist with foreign residents.
I think it has to do more with the "age". Tohoku prefectures have quite a good number of old people, and lack of young people, compared to regions like Kyushu, Chugoku, Kansai.
However what surprises me is the FACT that there are so many bigots even in Tokyo. Yes even in business districts like Shibuya, Shinjuku, Chiyoda, Meguro, Shinagawa there are certainly quite a number of bigots. And mind you these aren't the typical old unemployed uneducated or simply ignorant guys, quite a number of them are well-educated, high-income, has kids, even involved with foreigners…….
by YamatoRyu2006