We are seeing more foreign nationals working across a wide range of industries than before—convenience stores, construction sites, nursing care facilities, hotel reception desks, and more.

The Japanese government distinguishes these foreign nationals—whom we encounter more often in daily life—from immigrants, and positions them as a workforce that can address labor shortages in Japanese industries.

Under the current Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act, foreign nationals who work or study in Japan obtain a status of residence and may live in Japan only for a limited period of stay.

Once that period of stay ends, they choose either to renew it in order to continue living in Japan or to return to their home country. For foreign residents, the length of stay in Japan and the activities they may engage in are determined by the requirements of each status of residence.

Immigrants, in this context, refer to foreign nationals who hold a status of residence that allows them to stay in Japan without a limit on the period of stay. Foreign nationals who obtain permanent residency—which grants conditions closer to those of Japanese nationals—can live in Japan under fewer restrictions than other statuses of residence.

At present, international students, technical intern trainees, Specified Skilled Worker foreign nationals, and others who frequently come and go from overseas are subject to limits on their period of stay, and therefore are not treated as immigrants under the current system.

However, it cannot be ruled out that, as the requirements of statuses of residence are revised, pathways to transition to other statuses of residence are established, and social systems that enable talented international talent to thrive are put in place, more foreign nationals among international students, technical intern trainees, and Specified Skilled Workers will settle in Japan and come to be called immigrants.

What Is an Immigrant?

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) defines a migrant as follows.

“Any person who is moving or has moved across an international border or within a State away from his/her habitual place of residence.”

※ International Organization for Migration (IOM): the only United Nations agency dedicated to migration issues worldwide

From Workers to Immigrants

The Japanese government’s policy is that the flow of foreign nationals currently coming to Japan consists of fixed-term foreign workers, not immigration acceptance. In practice, however, Japan is also actively advancing policies to accept foreign nationals.

The Specified Skilled Worker program, launched in April 2019, was planned to accept 345,000 people over five years. The foreign workers intended as a measure to ease Japan’s labor shortages can also be interpreted as the beginning of immigration.

Acceptance of foreign workers has been on an upward trend, and the number of foreign residents as of December 2020 stood at 2,887,116. Partly due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this was a decrease of 46,021 people (1.6%) from the previous year, but an increase in foreign residents is expected going forward in line with government policy and Japan’s globalization.

What Happens When Immigration Increases

Opinion surveys of Japanese nationals appear to show mixed views on an increase in foreign nationals (immigrants).

Opinions vary depending on preconceived notions about foreign nationals and how much experience people have actually interacting with them.

Those who do not accept foreign nationals positively often have limited everyday experience interacting with them, and may hold negative impressions driven by image—fears about the impact of crime by foreign nationals, concerns that public safety may deteriorate, and worries about increased social security burdens.

It is true that living and working alongside foreign nationals can be challenging in practice. Yet as long as Japanese society is expected to actively accept foreign nationals, Japanese people will need—with immigration policy as a pillar—to continually adapt their values and thinking in each situation where they interact with foreign nationals. Otherwise, they will be unable to cope with the reality that is already approaching.

Immigration Growth and Deteriorating Public Safety

So how should we think about concerns that more immigration will worsen public safety or raise crime rates?

Take, for example, the issue of technical intern trainees absconding that often appears in the news: it has become clear that working conditions play a major role as a cause.

The circumstances foreign nationals face in Japanese society differ depending on their own level of satisfaction, and the slightest difference can result in someone becoming a criminal or an undocumented immigrant.

We need to understand that an increase in foreign nationals does not necessarily lead directly to worse public safety or crime, and—bearing in mind the large influence of environment—reconsider one-sided views of foreign nationals.

Those who work with foreign nationals also need to deepen their understanding of the backgrounds these individuals face—including how stress from living and working in a different culture can become distorted somewhere along the way, and the reasons an ordinary foreign individual may turn to illegal acts.

It is hoped that people will recognize that crime does not occur for the simple reason that someone is a foreign national, and that biased trends and repeatedly reinforced images of foreign nationals will not take hold.

About Increases in Education Costs

One area that requires a response as immigration increases is the cost of language education. Because proficiency in English as a common language is low in Japan, Japanese-language education is essential. Education costs for foreign nationals borne by the national and local governments are expected to rise more than ever before.

According to the “Survey on the Acceptance of Students Requiring Japanese-Language Instruction” released by the Ministry of Education in January 2020, a survey of Japan’s public elementary schools, junior high schools, high schools, compulsory education schools, secondary schools, and special needs schools found 51,126 foreign children—an increase of 7,179 (16.3%) compared with two years earlier.

When foreign nationals’ work becomes stable in Japan, they often bring over spouses, children, or relatives’ children in turn. The issue that arises here is the education costs for children of compulsory education age.

According to the “Survey Results on School Enrollment of Foreign Children” released by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology in 2020, 19,471 foreign children may be out of school.

One reason for non-enrollment is cases in which insufficient Japanese-language ability leads to school non-attendance. There is concern that these children may reach adulthood without receiving an education.

Education policy for immigrant children—a challenge common to immigration issues overseas—has become a major issue.

About Increases in Social Security Costs

Under the current Specified Skilled Worker program, which is a measure to ease labor shortages, enrollment in social insurance is mandatory on the same basis as for Japanese nationals.

This is because there were previously cases in which unenrolled foreign workers faced inadequate responses when injured or ill, as well as problems with unpaid insurance premiums. Under the Specified Skilled Worker program, these procedures are required when entering into employment contracts with foreign nationals.

If Japan steers more decisively toward immigration policy in the future, reviewing the structure of the system for social security costs covering foreign nationals will be a challenge.

In Closing

Japan’s immigration acceptance policy is still at a cautious beginning. From now on, thinking step by step about a Japan where people live alongside foreign nationals—and actively taking part in exchange with foreign nationals and experiencing other cultures—will likely prove useful when working and studying together with them.