Upper house race candidates call for controls on foreigners near Tokyo, ignoring reality July 18
ブランドコピー品 2025 (Mainichi Japan) Japanese version A candidate from a political group advocates for the exclusion of foreigners during a stump speech for the House of Councillors election while citizens protest against such rhetoric, in Warabi, Saitama Prefecture, July 5, 2025. (Mainichi/Takuro Tahara) SAITAMA -- As the July 20 House of Councillors election approaches in Japan, political parties are fervently arguing for regulations on foreigners. Many candidates in Saitama Prefecture, north of Tokyo
スーパーコピー激安 are calling for stricter controls on foreigners, but such rhetoric risks ignoring the local reality and could incite discrimination. This reporter walked through Kawaguchi and Warabi, cities in southern Saitama Prefecture with significant foreign populations, to explore the actual situation. Calls for 'regulation' On July 5, a candidate from the opposition party Sanseito was seen raising their voice at the west exit of JR Warabi Station, claiming, "An excessive increase of foreigners will worsen public safety and lead to the collapse of society." The audience applauded. Sanseito's campaign platform includes a "Japanese First" policy. In their speech, the candidate called for regulations on foreigners, following a talk on economic measures including tax reductions. The candidate told the Mainichi Shimbun in an interview, "When I talk about foreigners in the southern part of this prefecture, I feel a good response as people say, 'Thank you for saying what other parties won't.'" In Kawaguchi, where foreigners make up 8.4% of the population, and Warabi, where they account for 13.3%, many candidates emphasize their stance on foreigners during stump speeches. A leaflet distributed by the opposition Nippon Ishin (the Japan Innovation Party) states at the top, "Foreigner issues: Reclaim a safe Saitama." A campaign official noted, "The reaction is lackluster in the northern part of the prefecture, where there are fewer foreigners, but it resonates with voters here." On July 5, a Komeito candidate at JR Warabi Station stated, "We'll deport people staying illegally. We'll say no to the abuse and misuse of refugee applications." Meanwhile
コピーブランド時計 Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who visited Kawaguchi the same day, stated in his speech, "It's important for people to follow rules properly and play various roles in Japanese society." Voices of the audience I spoke with a resident of Kawaguchi in his 20s distributing leaflets for the Sanseito party. Previously a voter for the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), he now supports Sanseito and volunteers for the party. Citizens protest against a stump speech that potentially contains hate speech in Warabi, Saitama Prefecture, July 5, 2025. (Mainichi/Takuro Tahara) "I got interested through Twitter (X). The requirement for aspiring candidates and party members to submit nationality information, ensuring they're 'pure Japanese,' is appealing," he said. "I support limiting the acceptance of foreigners. It's scary to see Chinese and Kurdish people talking on the streets at night," he added. He admitted that he had never directly experienced any harm from foreigners. When speaking to audience members, they cited "deteriorating public security" and "preferential treatment of foreigners" as reasons for supporting the regulation of foreigners, with many expressing concerns about the increasing number of foreigners and saying that they learned via the internet about foreigner "favoritism" and crimes. Foreigners' use of national health insurance and public assistance is frequently criticized online as preferential to them. Sanseito's platform includes preventing the misuse of these systems by foreigners. However, the audience's perception of these systems does not necessarily align with foreigners' actual usage. Do foreigners receive special treatment? According to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, foreigners made up 4% of national health insurance policyholders in 2023, a 1.4 percentage point increase over the past decade. However, medical expenses paid to foreigners accounted for only 1.39% of the total between March 2023 and February 2024. A ministry official noted, "Generally, older people visit doctors. Foreign residents, many of whom are young, don't use medical services as much as Japanese people." Some foreigners with permanent or long-term residency receive assistance equivalent to welfare for Japanese. In 2023, approximately 46,000 foreign households received this livelihood protection, accounting for 2.8% of the total. This number has only increased by about 1,000 households over the past decade, despite a 65% increase in the foreign population during the same period. In Kawaguchi, meanwhile, local authorities and the police have received consultations about foreigners' waste disposal and driving manners. Incidents involving foreign individuals, such as hit-and-run accidents, are sometimes reported. However, among those cracked down on for violations of the Penal Code and special laws by Saitama Prefectural Police, 1,116 were foreigners in 2019, making up 7.9% of the total, compared with 1,127 in 2024, accounting for 8.8%. While the percentage increased by 0.9 points, the number of those apprehended remained nearly flat. During these five years, the foreign population in the prefecture increased by 27%, yet the number of recognized Penal Code offenses has decreased since 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic. Thus, it's hard to say that public safety has significantly worsened due to foreigners. Hate speech also abounds People listen to speeches by a House of Councillors election candidate and their campaign speaker at Kawaguchi Station's east exit in Kawaguchi, Saitama Prefecture, July 16, 2025. (Mainichi/Kiyoshi Kato) When I told a campaign official from a party fielding candidates in the upper house election about my impression that many candidates are trying to stand out with the strong emphasis on the regulation of foreigners, they responded, "We have prided ourselves in dealing with issues involving foreigners for a long time. We strongly advocate these issues, which are favorable for us, and draw other candidates into this arena." A local source close to the LDP said, "I was disappointed with Prime Minister Ishiba's speech. Such weak language won't resonate." There is a sense of crisis that "strong words" like tightening of regulations reach voters more effectively than the achievements of local assembly members who have tackled issues like waste disposal and noise problems. As the election campaign progresses, street speeches on the regulation of foreigners seem to intensify. At the west exit of Warabi Station, a candidate from a political group calling for the "abolition of policies that favor foreigners" was shouting
時計コピー "Koreans, go back to Korea," and, "We mustn't lose to anti-Japanese Koreans." The dialogue included numerous statements that could be considered hate speech. A man in his 30s from Bangladesh, who happened to pass by
ブランドコピーN級品 said, "I've lived in Japan for three years and feel a change in the social atmosphere. While I still believe Japan is safe, many of my acquaintances feel scared," he said with a troubled expression. (Japanese original by Takuro Tahara, Saitama Bureau) Font Size SML Print Go to The Mainichi Home Page Related Articles Tokyo governor warns against xenophobia amid Japan election debate on foreigner policies Editorial: Japan politicians must stop fueling anti-foreigner sentiment for electoral gains Japan NGOs warn against hate speech during upper house election campaign
