TOKYO – Japan’s populist Sanseito party stunned the nation when it gained several seats in July’s upper house election. But its “Japanese First” slogan has been widely criticized as xenophobic, and foreign residents of Japan are concerned about rising discrimination.
In 2024, the number of Japan’s foreign residents rose more than 10 percent to 3.76 million, a new record for the third year in a row and making up just over 3 percent of the population. Sanseito leader Sohei Kamiya has used that growth to fan fears about newcomers, but denies any intention to discriminate against them.
First elected to parliament in 2022, Kamiya has said that the strong support for his party signaled voter expectations for cutting taxes, boosting public spending to support the economy, and curbing the influx of foreign workers into the aging nation despite acute labor shortages.
Shin Sugok is a third-generation Korean in Japan who works as a human resources development consultant and representative of an organization fighting hate speech. She’s concerned about the Japanese First movement’s potential to fuel discrimination, exclusion, and even mob violence.
During the election campaign, she received numerous complaints from foreigners of Asian descent who said they were no longer able to walk the streets because they fear for their safety. Others are afraid of having their names called during hospital visits or when ordering something by phone.
She says “Japanese First” is qualitatively different from past discrimination because it functions as a rallying cry that aims to create solidarity among the masses.
“The solidarity of the masses who wanted to reaffirm ‘we are the best’ and ‘foreigners are to blame for our suffering’ has become visible. People who believe discrimination and exclusion are justified gather and form an alliance with those in power. This situation is very similar to that of early Nazi Germany.”
Shin argues that the current situation is largely the result of the former Abe administration’s policy of sowing seeds of xenophobia, a policy that Sanseito has inherited and continues to spread through adroit use of social media, fueling discrimination.
Sandra Haefelin, born in Munich, Germany, and living in Japan since 1998, says she is uneasy with the phrase “Japanese First” because the definition of Japanese is vague.
“I am a Japanese citizen and have lived in Japan for 27 years, but I am often perceived as a ‘foreigner’ based on my appearance,” says Haefelin, a TV personality and essayist who writes in Japanese on themes of multiculturalism.
“When politicians say ‘for the Japanese people,’ I don’t think they include people like me. I’m sure there are many foreign residents in Japan and Japanese people with foreign roots who feel the same way.”
Those who promote the slogan argue that it refers to “people with Japanese nationality.” However, people are often judged based on their appearance. “In such a context, ‘Japanese First’ can be used as a tool to promote discrimination,” Haefelin says.
What is perhaps more troubling, in Haefelin’s view, is the discourse that seeks to divide foreigners into good and bad.
“In Germany, for example, there is a movement to distinguish between ‘serious immigrants’ and ‘troublesome immigrants.’ But who decides the criteria for this, and how?” she asks.
Haefelin points out that distrust of immigrants and refugees in Germany rose sharply in the wake of incidents such as gang rapes. However, since no such large-scale incidents have occurred in Japan, she believes that the slogan “Japanese First” has gained support largely due to economic anxiety and dissatisfaction.
Jeff Kingston, a professor at Temple University in Tokyo, considers Sanseito an “ultra-right-wing party” because of its advocacy of historical revisionism, rejection of the peace Constitution, and references to conscription and the introduction of nuclear weapons that clearly reveal its authoritarian intentions.
Kamiya styles himself a “mini-Trump” who is trying to tap into the same grievances and anti-global sentiments that have powered the MAGA movement in the United States, he says. The former supermarket manager’s populist, emotional appeal attracts support, especially among the younger generation, more than the policies themselves.
“Many younger Japanese feel like outsiders, facing bleak prospects. Kamiya offers a message of hope mixed with grievance and glowering nationalism,” Kingston says.
Kingston, who specializes in modern Japanese history and Southeast Asian political and diplomatic policy, called the idea that the slogan “Japanese First” is not discriminatory “pure sophistry.”
“The call to limit concentrations of foreign residents is discriminatory. This is typical of ethnonationalists who dog-whistle about immigration while denying that it’s their intent,” he says.
Ultimately, Kingston believes that the Japanese economy would be “crippled” without foreign workers, and that those in power value their role.
“What Sanseito has done is politicize immigration and push it into the public discourse, forcing other parties to clarify their stance on the issue. Now, the genie is out of the bottle. From now on, this will be up for debate, and extreme parties will try to play the anti-foreign card.”
AloJapan.com