Thoughts on the Upper House Election Party Policy Survey on “Foreign Workers”

Last month, the Upper House election was held in Japan.

I respected the candidates who are out in the scorching sun, passionately sharing their policies on the streets. I also admired the voters who stop and listen to them with genuine interest.

Personally, I couldn't handle the heat and would rather avoid the risk of heatstroke, so I stayed in my cool room and watched the policy broadcasts or campaign speeches online.

In the election, one of the major issues being frequently discussed was the “foreigners issue.”
It was sudden—why had this theme became a central topic now? But it's not entirely incomprehensible.

Back in the mid-2010s, the term “inbound demand” became common, and many foreign tourists started visiting Japan.
Although this trend came to a halt during the COVID-19 pandemic, after restrictions were lifted, the number of foreign visitors quickly surged again. With the yen weakening, Japan became a more affordable travel destination, and visitor numbers soon surpassed pre-pandemic levels.

Given that people now encounter foreigners more frequently in daily life, it's only natural that the presence of foreigners has become a more prominent topic. Overtourism is certainly a real concern.

However, when reading the positions of various parties in this Upper House election, it seemed the “foreigner issue” was less about tourists and more focused on long-term residents.
As of the end of 2024, there were 3.76 million foreign residents in Japan, of whom 2.3 million were workers—a record high.
Japan is already facing a population decline, so increasing the number of foreign residents seems inevitable, both to address labor shortages and to maintain the scale of the domestic market.

That said, the political parties have varying positions on this. Some support the continued acceptance of foreign workers, while others argue that it should be restricted.
While xenophobic rhetoric like “we don’t want foreigners” is clearly unacceptable, these differing views largely reflect each party’s stance on economic policy and labor markets. Looking at this “foreigner issue” is a useful way to understand those underlying differences.

NHK's Upper House Election Party Policy Survey on Foreign Workers was particularly helpful and easy to understand.
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20250710/k10014858841000.html

The ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) supports increasing the number of foreign workers, based on new frameworks such as the “Developmental Employment System” and the revised 2024 “Specified Skilled Worker System,” which are replacing the heavily criticized Technical Intern Training Program.
The technical intern system was flawed in that it claimed to bring foreigners to Japan for training, but didn’t recognize them as legitimate workers—resulting in poor labor conditions, sometimes below minimum wage.
The newer systems represent a shift toward officially recognizing foreigners as workers and, if certain conditions are met, allowing them to settle in Japan.
Although the government avoids using the term “immigration policy,” some argue that these are, in effect, immigration policies.
Interestingly, NHK’s survey showed that the LDP does not advocate for further acceptance of foreign workers, but rather supports maintaining the current level. This likely reflects internal party divisions, preventing a simple “pro-expansion” stance.

Parties that support actively increasing foreign workers include the Constitutional Democratic Party, Komeito, the Japanese Communist Party, and the Social Democratic Party.
These centrist to left-leaning parties tend to view the acceptance of foreign labor as a realistic solution to labor shortages and also share an affinity for multicultural coexistence.

On the other hand, parties that oppose or seek to limit foreign worker acceptance argued that it may worsen working conditions for Japanese citizens.
Some also emphasized concerns like public safety, though there were little concrete evidence to support such claims. In any case, the opinions were wide-ranging.

As a career consultant, one of my areas of expertise is supporting the employment and integration of foreign workers. From that standpoint, I believe it is essential to support foreigners who want to work in Japan.
While opinions differ—like those of the political parties—regarding how many foreign workers Japan should accept as a matter of national policy, there is only one choice when it comes to individual workers: to provide them with full support.
Yet I feel that our support systems are still inadequate.

Back in the late 2000s, the government launched a plan to bring in 300,000 international students. This led to a surge in foreign students at Japanese universities.
However, despite studying in Japan, learning the language, and gaining some understanding of Japanese culture, most of these students returned to their home countries or moved to third countries after graduation.
Few stayed in Japan to work. One key reason was the lack of career support for international students. Even at universities that accepted large numbers of them, the career centers offered little help.
While the “entrance” was opened wide, the “exit” was poorly planned. The policies and systems were inconsistent and disconnected.

It makes little sense to lump all “foreign workers” together and simply say you’re for or against them. We can’t reduce the number to zero anyway.
What we need is to support people—regardless of whether they’re Japanese or foreign—who are willing to work.
I hope this “foreigner issue” becomes a subject of constructive policy debate, one that also considers how we can better support the careers of all workers.