Tokyo, capital of Japan
In Japan, the far right has made immigration one of the main themes of the election campaign. Several Lusophone residents warned that the country needs foreigners to face population aging.
This Sunday, the elections for the Japanese Parliament High.
Also in Japanas in Portugal and in the generality of Western countries, the Immigration has given a lot to speak.
In late 2024, Japan had 3.76 million foreign residents, a historic maximum, but only 3% of the population. In accordance with the legislation in force, None of them have the right to vote in the Sunday elections.
But that did not prevent the far right from betting on an openly xenophobic rhetoric, connecting crime to immigration. According to official data, in 2024, foreigners, including residents and irregular people, committed 2.2% of the crimes recorded in Japan.
Founded in 2020, the far-right party Sanseito has used social networks and platforms to disseminate conspiracy theories and xenophobic misinformation.
The party promised, throughout the campaign, tight rules for the assignment of residence and exclude foreigners from social benefits.
“Foreigners are used as targets to express discontent”said, in statements to Lusa, the professor of political science at the University of Tokyo, Yu Uchiyamawhich established a parallel with the rise of the far right in Europe and the United States.
“Japan is without people to work”
Rogériowhich works in a Brazilian restaurant in Osaka (south center), reports that the Japan needs immigrants.
In addition to the issue of locking aging, the 43 -year -old Brazilian points out that There must be those who do the work that the Japanese do not want to do.
“If foreigners are leaving here, Japan is without people to work. The labor, so far, for us there are also people,” Lusa Rogério, married to a Japanese and children in Japan, told Lusa.
Over the past two decades, the number of asset workers has decreased by about three million. According to an estimate of Recruit Works Institute, By 2040, Japan is expected to face a labor deficit of 11 million people.
“Without foreigners, Japan stops. Japanese does not want to work in any service“, Explained to Lusa another Brazilian, Gilbertowho lives in Toyama, in the center of the country.
Daniel, an Angolan who has been living for 14 in Japan, admitted, in turn, the weight of Cultural Shock: “The Japanese people are very severe And you’ll have to leave some things you are used to, because here you have to follow the line of the Japanese. ”
Prime Minister approaches the far right
The polls suggest that Sanseito, currently with two places in the Chamber of Counselors, You can earn more than ten of the 125 places In dispute in Sunday’s elections for the High House of Parliament, consisting of 248 members.
With the Prime Minister’s coalition Shigeru Ishiba at risk of losing the majority in the House of Counselors, in this campaign for Sunday’s elections, the party in power Partially adopted anti-immigration discourse.
On Tuesday, Ishiba inaugurated a special office To address issues related to foreign residents, saying that it will hear the concerns of the Japanese, including alleged abuses of the Social Security System.
