Rethinking Japan’s Policies Toward Foreign Workers
The number of foreign workers in Japan has now reached approximately 2.57 million. For the Japanese economy, which is facing a serious labor shortage, they have already become an indispensable part of society.
Against this backdrop, fees for renewing residence status and applying for permanent residency have been substantially increased. News reports have featured foreign residents saying, “I can no longer afford to stay in Japan” or “Maybe I should return to my home country.”
The government has cited several reasons for the increases, including the development of a system to manage foreign residents and the fact that Japan’s fees have been relatively low compared with those in Europe and the United States.
Certainly, a robust system for managing foreign residents is essential to prevent illegal stays, address exploitative working conditions, and ensure that the immigration system operates properly. It is understandable that the government needs funding to build and maintain such a system.
However, is it really appropriate to pass the cost of building such a system on to foreign residents who are working and living responsibly in Japan in the form of across-the-board increases in fees?
Many foreign workers can be found in restaurants, convenience stores, nursing care facilities, construction sites, and many other places in our daily lives. If their numbers were to decline significantly, Japan’s various industries and everyday services would be greatly affected.
It is questionable whether Japanese society, which is supported in part by these workers, should pursue policies toward foreign residents based solely on the idea that they should bear more of the financial burden.
Japan is currently experiencing accelerating population aging and a declining birthrate, resulting in major changes in its demographic structure. While the working-age population is shrinking, the burden of supporting an aging population through social security continues to grow.
Against this backdrop, younger people from overseas are coming to Japan and working here.
They are not simply a source of labor. They earn income in Japan and pay income tax, resident tax, social insurance premiums, and pension contributions. In other words, they are also contributing to and supporting Japan’s social security system.
Of course, accepting foreign workers will not solve every problem. And it is only natural that foreign residents should follow Japan’s laws, regulations, and social rules.
However, if that is the case, should we not also view foreign residents not simply as people to be “managed,” but as members of society who contribute to and help support Japan?
Japan, too, needs to remain a country where foreign people want to work and live.
If raising these fees causes more foreign workers to give up on working in Japan or choose other countries instead, is that really in Japan’s best interest?
Rather than looking only at how much foreign residents can be asked to contribute, we need to reconsider these policies by taking into account the value they bring to Japan, as well as what Japan gains from their presence.
Japan needs foreign workers.
We need to look squarely at this reality and seriously consider how Japan and its foreign residents can build a Win-Win relationship for both sides.
