Japan to set up new team to help foreigners as election speeches spark ‘xenophobia’

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba pledged on Tuesday to set up a new command centre within the Cabinet Secretariat early next week to address challenges related to foreign residents in Japan, the top government spokesman said.

The issue has become one of the major topics during official campaigning for the July 20 House of Councillors election, with some minor parties arguing that regulations on foreigners living in Japan should be tightened to “protect the rights of Japanese people”.

“Realising an orderly society inclusive of foreign residents is one of the most important policy matters the government should tackle,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said at a regular press conference, explaining Ishiba’s plan.

The move appears aimed at gaining public support for the government’s response to controversies related to foreign residents, including allegations of misuse of the national welfare system, ahead of the key upper house election.

The issues have prompted some minor conservative opposition parties to adopt xenophobic stances towards foreign residents, making remarks that could be considered hate speech and claiming that Japan’s culture and the economy must be protected.

Asked about stump speeches that could lead to discrimination against foreigners, Justice Minister Keisuke Suzuki said an “orderly coexistence between Japanese and foreign nationals is essential”, adding, “there should be no xenophobia”.