- Immigrant Times
- Nov 8
- 4 min read
Japan talks tough on immigration, but relies increasingly on foreign workers
As Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi tightens visa rules, Japan quietly expands labour pathways to sustain its ageing economy
By The Immigrant Times
Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi wants to toughen immigration rules while the country’s agriculture relies more and more on foreign workers like Mekhala Sakda from Thailand (Photos: Reuters)
November 2025: Japan’s freshly-installed prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, has signalled a tougher stance on immigration. While acknowledging the need for foreign labour in a shrinking and ageing society, she is also pledging stricter controls, limits and tighter rule-enforcement on foreign residents. Her remarks come amid increasing public unease about integration, rule-breaking by some, and broader debates over Japan’s migration policy. In November 2025, the Prime Minister told the Japanese parliament (Diet) that Japan can’t sustain its economy without foreign workers, but the country must protect its culture.
“We must protect Japan’s identity while ensuring our economy doesn’t stall,” Takaichi said in the Diet, reaffirming her commitment to “orderly, limited” immigration. Yet her administration has quietly expanded the Specified Skilled Worker (SSW) programme, allowing more foreign carers, construction workers, and food industry staff to stay longer and bring family members.
The Prime Minister acknowledged labour shortages by saying that there are fields in Japan that require foreign personnel (such as specified under the ‘Specified Skilled Worker’ visa programme), but stressed that acceptance must be managed appropriately, for instance by setting limits to the number of people accepted. She also emphasised that safeguarding public safety, Japanese culture and customs is most important, alongside managing foreign resident numbers.
Observers noted that the Prime Minister’s statement was a classic case of saying one thing and doing another. “The government is responding to business pressure and demographic reality, but it’s packaging reforms in nationalist language to avoid backlash.”
Implications for immigrants in Japan
Japan’s policy environment is likely to become more regulated: Foreign workers will be increasingly subject to compliance checks (insurance/pension contributions, visa terms), and the government may impose ceilings or quotas. While the country has traditionally emphasised ‘accepting’ rather than ‘settling’ foreigners, Prime Minister Takaichi’s remarks about setting limits hint at potential caps for certain visa categories or tighter screening.
The message for immigrants: While there may be job opportunities in sectors with shortages, expectations will be higher for compliance with rules, integration, and demonstrating value. The government appears set to push not only for economic ‘use’ of foreign labour but also for a visible demonstration of ‘coexistence’ and respect for Japanese norms, culture and public order.
For existing foreign residents, the emphasis may shift from ‘we need you’ to ‘we need you, if you follow the rules and integrate’. Those perceived as flouting rules may face restrictions or have their visas revoked.
Integration and community acceptance will remain a challenge:
The fact that a large share of Japanese say they have little real interaction with foreign residents suggests social isolation or parallel communities.
Sectors facing labour shortages
Care for the elderly: Japan’s ageing population demands more carers than the domestic workforce can supply. Many workers from Indonesia, Vietnam, and the Philippines are recruited under the Specified Skilled Worker (SSW) visa to staff nursing homes and home care. Some 700,000 positions are unfilled.
Construction: Infrastructure projects and urban development continue, but domestic interest in manual labour is declining. SSW visa holders and Technical Intern Trainees (TITP) fill roles in carpentry, scaffolding, and site operations. Projected shortage of 930,000 workers by 20230.
Agriculture: Harvesting and planting cycles require intensive labour, which local populations can’t meet. Migrants from Southeast Asia work under TITP and SSW programmes, often in remote prefectures. In some prefectures, the labour deficit amounts to 20 per cent.
Food Services: Restaurants and food production facilities face high turnover and low domestic interest. SSW visa holders now make up a growing share of kitchen and service staff, especially in urban areas.
Population and foreign residents
At the beginning of 2025, Japan’s population amounted to 124 million, down from 128 million in 2010. The share of Japanese at working age (15 to 64) stood at 58 per cent, a new low in post-war Japan. Some 30 per cent of the population is over 65. (For comparison: Germany 23.5%; France 22%; Canada 21%; Poland 20%; UK 19.5%; USA 18.5%; Russia 18%; Australia 17%; Brazil 11%; Turkey 9.5%; Mexico 8%)
Number of foreign residents: 3.95 million (3.2% of the population)
From China – 873,000
From Vietnam – 634,000
From South Korea – 409,000
From the Philippines – 342,000
From Nepal – 233,000
From Brazil – 212,000
From Indonesia – 200,000
From Myanmar – 135,000
From Taiwan – 70,000
From the USA – 66,000
Fazit
Japan stands at a crossroads. On one hand is the demographic reality: declining population, shrinking workforce and increasing need for foreign labour. On the other is a society that has long emphasised cultural and ethnic homogeneity, where the expansion of foreign resident numbers triggers both practical and emotional anxieties.
Prime Minister Takaichi’s approach encapsulates this tension: The acknowledgement of necessity, coupled with a promise of stricter rules, order and control. For now, the message to immigrants is clear: you are welcome if you follow the rules, integrate responsibly and embody the kind of ‘coexistence’ the government seeks to promote.
Sources: Japanese Ministry of Justice; OECD; Pew Research Centre; The Japanese Times; Asahi Shinbum; Japan Forward; Tokyo Weekender; Asean+3 Economic Research Office; Agence France Press; Kazinform International News Agency; Aoyama Journal of International Politics
Further reading: Japan debates immigration || A Japanese mayor who believes immigration will revitalise his city ||
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