Japan Tightens Rules on Foreigners, While Regional Regions Say They Are Indispensable

[Anchor]

As the Japanese government significantly tightens residency requirements for foreigners, a growing number of people, including South Koreans, are leaving the country. However, the situation is quite different in regional areas heavily reliant on manufacturing.

Correspondent Mun Junmo reports from the field, where businesses are struggling with severe labor shortages.

[Reporter]

Choi Seok-jin has been running a restaurant in Tokyo.

At the shop where he has shown up to work every day for eight years, he prepares to welcome his last customers.

[Choi Seok-jin / Restaurant Owner : Tears just naturally well up.]

The decision to close down the restaurant comes as business visa requirements for foreigners have been drastically tightened.

The capital requirement has surged sixfold, and conditions have been added requiring the employment of difficult-to-find Japanese staff.

[Choi Seok-jin / Restaurant Owner : It essentially means they will no longer grant permits. This basically means they are telling us to go home.]

In fact, the number of foreign business owners who left Japan in the first half of this year surged fourfold compared to the same period last year.

Additionally, the Japanese government has lowered the threshold for revoking permanent residency and launched intensive crackdowns on illegal residents, effectively embarking on a push to reduce the number of foreigners.

This phenomenon follows the advancement of right-wing parties chanting "Japanese First" and the inauguration of the Takaichi cabinet.

However, the reality in regional areas is entirely different.

Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture.

Though it is a manufacturing city that gave birth to giants like Suzuki, Yamaha, and Honda, its population drops by thousands every year, meaning it cannot function without foreign workers.

At Sakurai Seisakusho, well-known for precision parts for automobiles and aircraft, 1 out of every 5 employees is a foreigner.

[Shirasawa Takeshi / Executive, Sakurai Seisakusho : Foreign employees are indispensable. Because Japan is facing a labor shortage, we will continue to actively hire them going ahead.]

Automaker Suzuki employs workers from 15 countries and has even changed its cafeteria menu to accommodate the growing number of Indian staff.

This is the Indian-style curry actually being sold at Suzuki's employee cafeteria.

As you can see here, it is made by importing some ingredients, including rice, directly from India. Word of mouth among Indian employees that it tastes like "home" has made it so popular that it is even being produced as a retort product.

[Aditi / Suzuki Employee (from India) : I missed my family, but eating this curry makes me think of the food my mom used to make, which puts me at ease.]

The Hamamatsu City Assembly submitted a written opinion to the Prime Minister in March demanding the elimination of discrimination against foreigners.

[Nakano Yusuke / Mayor of Hamamatsu : The experience of Hamamatsu, which has coexisted with foreign residents for over 30 years, can be helpful.]

Even in Tokyo, immigrants have formed a political party for the first time, bringing small changes to politics.

[Jeong Jae-wook / Co-Representative, Shinsedang : It is becoming harder for young people to enter Japan. This is not good for Japan's future either.]

While Japan's population dropped by a record-high margin of about 3.17 million over five years, the foreign population surged by 40% to a record 3.84 million.

As foreigners fill the vacancies left by citizens, the challenges and changes recently faced by Japan offer implications for us as well.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
(Reported by Mun Junmo | Video by Han Chul-min and Moon Hyun-jin | Video Editing by Jeon Min-gyu | Graphics by Lee Ga-jin)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.