Japonya'da artan göç, MAGA benzeri milliyetçi duyguları körüklüyor

Immigration surge a factor in rise of MAGA-like sentiments in Japan

MAGA people feel they are being exploited by foreign countries and advocate for stricter immigration policies. In my interviews with Trump supporters or conservatives in United States, I often encounter praise for my country and its culture. In their eyes, Japan has preserved itself as a monocultural and conservative country. In their view, the opposite extreme — and a cautionary example — is illustrated by European countries that adopted lenient immigration policies and lost their original cultures. However, Japan is undergoing rapid change as the number of foreign residents is rapidly increasing. As of the end of 2025, the number of foreign residents in Japan reached a record high of approximately 4.12 million, surpassing the 4 million mark for the first time. This is more than double the figure of about 2.03 million recorded in 2012, just over 10 years earlier. In particular, since 2022 — when the Covid-19 pandemic slowly began to subside — the influx of foreign residents has exploded due to the demand for workers, resulting in an unprecedented increase of more than 1 million people over the past three years. Chinese nationals stand out among this group. Of the 4.12 million, approximately 930,000 are from China, making it the largest group by nationality and accounting for 22.6pc of the total. In the past, Chinese nationals living in Japan came as migrant workers seeking to escape poverty in their homeland. However, since 2010 — when China’s gross domestic product surpassed Japan’s — the Chinese moving to Japan have primarily been from the wealthy and middle classes. In particular, after the 2015 introduction of the business manager visa, which mainly required applicants to either have ¥5 million in capital or hire two full-time employees, the number of Chinese immigrants using this visa increased significantly. The requirements were made stricter late last year. Notably, during the Covid-19 pandemic, the administration of Chinese President Xi Jinping implemented strict “Zero Covid” policies, including lockdowns, which highlighted the political risks of living in China. Additionally, due to economic stagnation and a desire to avoid the intensifying “exam war” in China, there has been a sharp increase in education-driven immigration aimed at enrolling in prestigious Japanese universities. This recent phenomenon is called “run ri” in China, using sounds that indicate a “run to Japan” movement. This massive migration of Chinese nationals is having a significant impact on Japanese society. High-end apartments in Tokyo are being snapped up by Chinese buyers. At elementary schools in Bunkyo Ward, known as one of the best school districts in Tokyo and home to Japan’s top universities, the number of Chinese children learning at local elementary schools is surging. According to a report by The Yomiuri Shimbun, the number of foreign-national children in Bunkyo Ward more than doubled between 2019 and 2025. The statistics are not broken down by nationality, but the number of Chinese students is significant, according to the report. This phenomenon has fostered feelings bordering on hostility among the Japanese people. Japan and China are neighbors and share a certain rivalry. The Japanese do not view China favorably, as it uses its military might to intimidate neighboring countries, and they also feel a sense of frustration at having been surpassed by China’s economic power. This public sentiment has begun to be used for political purposes. In the 2025 House of Councillors election and the House of Representatives election the following year, Sanseito — which advocates “Japanese First” policies and decreasing immigration — significantly increased its number of seats. The tightening of immigration policies advocated by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi likely contributed to her Liberal Democratic Party’s landslide victory in the House of Representatives election in February. While stating that she “draws a clear line between [her] policies and xenophobia,” Takaichi moved forward with measures such as tightening the screening process for residency status and strengthening responses to crimes committed by foreign residents. These moves are epitomized by the significant tightening of the requirements for business manager visas, which resulted in a 96pc drop in the number of applications. Waseda University Prof. Shunsuke Tanabe has been conducting surveys on Japanese attitudes toward foreigners every four years. The 2025 survey results showed that the percentage of people concerned that an increase in foreign residents would disrupt public safety and order rose to 73pc, a significant increase from 56pc in 2021. Strong opposition was particularly evident regarding Chinese immigration; while 31pc were in favor or somewhat in favor when the survey began in 2009, that figure fell to less than 10pc in the 2025 survey. Generational differences were also notable: Those in their 30s and younger expressed higher favorability toward politicians and political forces considered to be on the right, such as Takaichi, Sanseito, or Trump. A higher proportion of younger people rely on social media rather than newspapers or television as their source of information, and this might have had an impact on their views. Published in Dawn, July 27th, 2026