Japan politician ups migration rhetoric, says foreigners ‘ignore rules, assault’ locals
Addressing an election rally, right-wing leader Naoki Hyakuta also took aim at the burial customs practised by some foreigners
Naoki Hyakuta, leader of the minor right-wing opposition Conservative Party of Japan, made remarks on Saturday that could be construed as hate speech, criticising foreign workers during a national election campaign.
Foreign workers “disrespect Japanese culture, ignore the rules, assault Japanese people, and steal their belongings,” Hyakuta, a former novelist, said in a stump speech ahead of the July 20 House of Councillors election.
Established in 2023, his party won three seats in last year’s House of Representatives election. Led by Hyakuta, a former TV commentator, it advocates stricter immigration and refugee policies to protect the Japanese people.
Amid ongoing labour shortages, the number of foreign workers in Japan has steadily grown in recent years, surpassing 2 million in 2024. Some political leaders have responded with inflammatory rhetoric that could fuel xenophobia or discrimination.
During the upper house election campaign, another minor opposition group, the Sanseito party, has gained traction among conservatives with nationalist and anti-establishment views under its “Japanese First” banner.