Videos circulating online show protesters gathering across Japan on Sunday to oppose what they view as as overly lenient immigration policies.
The demonstrations came less than a week after conservative lawmaker Sanae Takaichi was sworn in as Japan’s 104th—and first female—prime minister, following a campaign that tapped into a reservoir of growing anti-immigration sentiment.
The protests underscore ongoing skepticism among Japan’s right-wing circles that Takaichi and her ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) will go far enough to address their concerns.
Why It Matters
The number of foreign residents in Japan has risen steadily since the country reopened after the COVID-19 pandemic, reaching a record 3 percent of the population in 2024, as Tokyo and local governments loosened visa rules for migrants and, in some cases, their families. These measures aim to fill labor shortages as Japan’s population ages and birth rates continue to plummet.
This shift, unprecedented in modern Japanese history, has prompted unease among nationalist groups and some conservative politicians. Critics have linked the rise in foreign residents to real estate purchases by Chinese nationals and a perceived uptick in crimes committed by foreigners—claims that conflict with government data showing that the proportion of such crimes has actually fallen in recent years.
Newsweek reached out to the Japanese Prime Minister’s Office by email with a request for comment outside regular hours.
What To Know
The demonstrations received little coverage by local media. Organizers said anti-immigration rallies were held in 15 cities, though these figures could not be independently verified by Newsweek.
Social media posts advertising the “one-day protest” listed 17 events nationwide, including three in Tokyo. A spokesperson for a group called Gokokai claimed the demonstration in Osaka, Japan’s third-largest city, drew 1,300 participants—another claim Newsweek was unable to independently verify.
A video uploaded to YouTube shows protesters outside the Prime Minister’s Office criticizing “globalist” immigration policies introduced under former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, whom Takaichi has described as her political mentor.
“‘Specified Skilled Worker Visa No. 2’ greatly increases the number of foreigners and even allows them to bring their families,” one speaker told attendees. “Unless this is rolled back, people like Abe and Takaichi are all the same.”
One organizer said: “It just kept accelerating. The LDP has been a major force in this. If nothing changes, we must clearly oppose immigration policy. That is the voice of the Japanese people.”
Online commenters claiming to have attended the protests said some rallies were disrupted by supporters of the Counter-Racist Action Collective, an organization that has staged counter-protests in the past.
Sheila Smith, a senior fellow for Asia-Pacific studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, told Newsweek last week that Takaichi may be seeking to preempt an attack from the right flank by the populist Sanseito Party, which has gained momentum in parliament.
On Monday, hundreds of people gathered near Tokyo’s Shimbashi Station to protest the arrival of U.S. President Donald Trump, who is visiting as part of an Asia tour, Arab News reported.
Protesters who spoke with the agency cited grievances ranging from opposition to U.S. support for Israel to concerns that Trump is turning the U.S. into a dictatorship.
What People Are Saying
Jeffrey Hall, a special lecturer in Japanese studies at Kanda University of International Studies in Chiba, wrote on X: “Some anti-immigration people in Japan have figured out that Prime Minister Takaichi will continue increasing the number of foreign workers in Japan and they don’t like it. They held a protest outside of the LDP headquarters today.”
What Happens Next
Trump is scheduled to meet with Takaichi on Tuesday for talks expected to include trade and defense cooperation, before he departs for South Korea to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum.