Why sentiment in Japan has turned against foreigners despite a worker shortage

Sohei Kamiya is the leader of the Sanseito Party which has imported rhetoric straight from the MAGA movement. (Reuters: Issei Kato) Link copiedShareShare articleWhen Nikki Maruschak arrived in Japan in 2019 she saw it as a place where she could build a life. Today she finds herself feeling unwelcome. Walking to the train station, home, or just to the grocery store she has experienced an increase in "butsukari", where someone will intentionally bump into, or push, a person in a public space while walking. Miguel Carmichael and Nikki Maruschak felt welcomed when they arrived in Japan but are reconsidering their future. (Supplied: Nikki Maruschak) The worst instance was when a man shoved her, for seemingly no reason, while she was with her partner at a subway station in March 2024. After police saw CCTV proving the assault an official report was made and the man was forced to apologise. Since 2022 Mr Carmichael has lived in or near Kobe, a port city famed for its international character. (Supplied: Miguel Carmichael) "The excuse was 'well, she can't read Japanese' which had nothing to do with the situation," Ms Maruschak said. "He just needed to make up an excuse for why he felt he was justified in walking past me, then turning around and shoving me from behind." The shift comes as Japanese people are increasingly embracing anti-immigration politics. Sanseito emerged as an anti-vaxxer and wellness movement party but since repositioned with immigration at its centre. (Reuters: Kim Kyung-Hoon) Since 2024 the Japanese far-right party Sanseito has moved from the fringes of national politics into the spotlight, securing 15 seats in the lower house and 15 seats in the upper house of parliament, all on a Japan-first and anti-foreigner platform. Now it is the fourth-largest opposition party. Professor at the Waseda University School of Political Science and Economics in Tokyo, Tetsuro Kobayashi, said the success of Sanseito had pushed Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to take a tougher stance against immigration. It included tougher requirements for foreign property owners, higher visa costs and a cap on the number of foreign residents in Japan. A telephone survey conducted by the national Asahi Shimbun newspaper in November 2025 found 66 per cent of respondents supported these new policies and 56 per cent said Japan did not need more immigrants and visitors. For Ms Marushak and her South African partner Miguel Carmichael the changing environment has made them rethink their future in Japan. Ms Maruschak describes her Japanese comprehension as "advanced conversationally" and said she had heard people in public spaces ask "why are there so many foreigners here?" "I would say in the week that the election where Sanseito suddenly won a lot of seats … there was a sudden increase in Japanese people being stand-offish or staring at you with an angry face from across the building," she said. Professor Kobayashi said Sanseito's political success pushed PM Sanae Takaichi to take a tougher stance on immigration. (Reuters: Kim Kyung-Hoon) Professor Kobayashi said Sanseito found its stride following the COVID-19 pandemic. "So not only the anti-vaxxers … they also tried to appeal to those who like spiritualism, naturalism, alternative medicines," Professor Kobayashi said. In a bid to capture new segments of the public the party has sought to capture anti-immigration sentiment, he said. Here's what we know about Sanae Takaichi who won Japan's Liberal Democratic Party's leadership contest and is likely to become the country's first female PM. "There have been no established political parties in Japan that have made anti-immigration sentiment a central component of their political platform," Professor Kobayashi said. Adjunct senior research fellow at Curtin University, Yasuo Takao, wrote "Sanseito's success showed that appeals to cultural protectionism and scepticism towards foreigners could siphon conservative voters" from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), an assessment Professor Kobayashi agreed with. He said Sanseito was supported by many people who had an "anti-establishment orientation". "So [Japanese Prime Minister Sanae] Takaichi has to keep the momentum by appealing to those anti-establishment people," Professor Kobayashi said. Sanseito leader Sohei Kamiya said, in a post to X, Mr Kirk spoke with 1,200 Sanseito supporters. (Supplied: X/Sohei Kamiya) He added that Sanseito imported many of its policies from the Make America Great Again movement, even inviting Charlie Kirk to speak before he was killed in September 2025. But if public attitude towards immigration improved, Professor Kobayashi said the populist Sanseito was likely to "move onto another issue" to "keep up the momentum". The message of Sanseito leader Sohei Kamiya is one that may seem familiar to Australians following the rise of One Nation. His speeches focus on Japan first, a crackdown on "excessive acceptance of foreigners"

Why sentiment in Japan has turned against foreigners despite a worker shortage

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