Why Not Immigration?
The birthrate crisis solution never discussed
One of the most immediate solutions to Japan’s rapidly aging population, declining birthrate, and massive labor shortage is immigration. However, there is absolutely no movement towards laxing the draconian laws that many experts have called ethnonationalist, racist, and/or cruel.
To alleviate the labor shortage — not the declining birthrate — former and late PM Abe Shinzo introduced a variety of changes to the nation’s immigration policy from 2014 to 2018.
On the Diet floor, when the late PM Abe was questioned by his own party member, Tadokoro Yoshinori, about the various changes being tantamount to an “immigrant policy”, he famously said,
「いわゆる移民政策をとるものではありません。」
“It is not a so-called ‘immigration policy’.”
Seemingly, immigrants are not desirable. Expanding the acceptance of foreign laborers is just that increasing laborers, not inviting immigrants.
The reason for this dichotomy can be inferred by Tadokoro’s questioning that includes specious — xenophobic at best and racist at worst — claims about the effects of increasing foreign residents.
They are the typical right-wing conservative talking points: stealing “Japanese people’s” jobs, causing crime, minimizing “Japanese people’s” wages, and generally being a “problem.”
In 2014, the late PM Abe said as much in front of the whole nation without an ounce of backlash for the racist, specious claim:
移民を受け入れた国では「不幸な出来事がたくさん起こっている」
In countries that have accepted immigrants, “a lot of unfortunate things have happened.”
It is the immigrants’ fault that unfortunate things(i.e. crime) have happened. The implication is that foreign residents are a net negative, not a positive. Therefore they should be used for their labor, then removed. Therefore, it is not an immigrant policy but a temporary migrant policy.
In other words, we are not inviting them to stay because they cause problems.
When in fact the changes to the ginou jisshusei 技能時実習生 system (temporary worker system) itself has created rampant systemic abuse and exploitation according to internal government investigation, NPOs, unions, and the UNHCR and UN commisioner on migrant rights.
Even the US government has noticed the issue and cautioned the Japanese government that the system accelerates the exploitation and abuse of migrant and immigrant workers.
In this system, the laborers are not allowed their basic worker’s rights of being able to change jobs freely, thereby giving their employer absolute control over their welfare. Furthermore, their pay begins well below a livable wage of 170,000/month before taxes.
Physical and sexual abuse, wage theft, forced to live in horrible conditions are just few of the common issues.
Yet absolutely nothing has been done under the current administration and it’s unlikely anything will. Last year, the Ijuuren 移住連, the Solidarity With Migrants Network, released survey of the political parties stances on immigrants and migrant policy.
The LDP’s staunch stance against or ambivalence to policies that improve equity, quality of life, and protect the rights of migrants is shocking, yet predictable.
I believe that the more we immigrants vocalize the issues we face with the support of the left parties, NPOs, and empathic citizens we will see the change necessary to bring Japan’s laws up to basic human rights standards.
I am still working out how I individually can get involved. If you live in Japan, I encourage you to as well. Personally, I have started by telling my Japanese friends and colleagues that a vote for right wing parties, especially the LDP, is a vote against our dignity, equality, and equity.
