On June 6, a group of parliamentarians within Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) presented Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru with a new immigration policy proposal. Under the title “Aiming for Zero Illegal Foreign Residents,” the document outlined several measures to combat foreigners engaging in illegal work and fraudulent residency, in addition to misuse of public services. The LDP would later adopt the slogan as part of its campaign for the upcoming upper house election.

This hawkish tone contrasts with the LDP-led government’s recent history of admitting foreign residents in record numbers. This is a result of numerous proactive immigration reforms, which included the expansion of foreign labor through the Specified Skilled Worker (SSW)........

© The Diplomat