Associations voice greater need to recognize Japan’s foreign residents (2025)

With the number of foreign nationals residing in Japan hitting record highs, foreigner associations are calling for recognition of their contributions and for Japan's politicians to steer immigration in the right direction.

At a talk event in Tokyo's Shibuya district on April 16, the Japan Association of Foreigners invited discussion from panelists, experts, and audience members, aimed at letting the Japanese public know that foreigners exist, are here to contribute, and need to be recognized.

Speaking to Kyodo News Plus on the fringes of the event, association president Oussouby Sacko said that one of the biggest issues to address was the perception of foreigners as a source of labor first and little more beyond that. "They want people who can change, who can contribute to society, but they don't want to consider them as human," he said.

During panel discussions, educators and representatives of foreigner associations addressed issues related to education, diversity, and politics.

One of the main concerns raised by the panelists was a perceived lack of relevant parties involved in policy making related to immigration and foreign residents. Some panelists went as far as to say that Japan was taking in foreign workers without any clear immigration policy behind it.

Panelists also called for Japan to be more proactive in setting up forums where the voices of foreign residents can be heard.

Robert Dwiputra, from an association of Indonesian business leaders in Japan, said that with around 90 percent of Indonesians identifying as Muslim, concerns raised by those living and working in Japan are often related to religion.

While individual organizations and employers might have policies in place recognizing their religious needs, Dwiputra raised concerns that Japan was not doing enough to ensure these needs remained protected.

Foreigners living under the country's technical internship program, many of whom work in rural areas, in particular, face difficulties in having their voices heard, according to Dwiputra.

"They don’t know what the correct thing is to do. They just believe that they don't have any rights, and they live with the inconveniences," he said.

Masaru Ishikawa, a member of the Suita city assembly, in Osaka Prefecture, was among the audience members.

Ishikawa told Kyodo News Plus that as a politician he had heard similar discussions several times and had deepened his understanding of what needs to be done to address what he said were shared issues. "We must think about the future of Japan and the world as a common issue," he said.

As of December, 3,768,977 foreign nationals were residing in Japan, up 10.5 percent from a year before and a record high for the third straight year, according to the Immigration Services Agency. Over 2.3 million foreigners were in employment, including approximately 456,000 living under the country's technical internship program.

Shohei Sugita, a lawyer and special adviser to the association of foreigners, highlighted the pace of change during the event.

An increase of nearly one million foreign residents over the last three years Sugita felt was contrary to an image of Japan portrayed in the media as not a popular choice of country to live and work.

With leading politicians reluctant to take a firm stance on divisive immigration issues, he said that change is not being driven by policy but by the economy alone and that measures to facilitate social integration might not keep up.

Likening the situation to a car, Sugita described Japan’s economy as the engine. "We are pressing down on the accelerator in the belief that someone is at the steering wheel when, actually, no one is," he said.

In June 2022, the government formulated a Roadmap for the Realization of a Society of Harmonious Coexistence with Foreign Nationals. Building on previous measures to facilitate integration, the roadmap for the first time detailed medium-to-long-term issues, including language education and strengthening consultation systems for foreigners.

Starting in 2024, the Ministry of Justice designated January as a month to promote life in harmony with foreign nationals.

Sugita said that while the roadmap is aimed at helping foreigners adjust to life in Japan, there is no vision about how many people are needed, or whether to encourage people to choose Japan as a destination in the first place.

"Unless a politician comes forward and discusses what kind of country we want to make, the discussion about whether we should steer to the right or to the left will never begin," he said.

In the meantime, Sacko said he believes that there are people who want to change the political landscape of Japan to one that better recognizes foreign residents. "If we want to see a change in politics in Japan, we should support these people and work together with them to form their policies," he said.

This article was submitted by a contributing writer for publication on Kyodo News Plus.