Upper House Election: Parties Focus on Policies Related to Foreign Residents in Upper House Election Pledges; Sanseito’s Success Spurs Moves

By Ryuichi Sato and Takafumi Yamasaki / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writers

17:19 JST, July 8, 2025

Policies regarding foreign residents are being put forward by both ruling and opposition parties in election pledges for the House of Councillors election later this month.

The move was ignited by opposition party Sanseito’s success in the Tokyo metropolitan assembly elections last month touting “Japanese First” policies.

“It’s important to have people from other countries play various roles. We would like them to adopt Japanese customs and follow the rules here,” said Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who also heads the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, during a roadside speech in Kawaguchi, Saitama Prefecture, a city with many Kurd residents. Some LDP lawmakers are increasingly speaking about policies related to foreign residents in their campaign speeches.

The LDP says in its election platform that it will accelerate efforts toward achieving its goal of “zero illegal foreign nationals.” It also pledges to make the foreign driver’s license conversion system stricter.

There is an increasing sense of concern among LDP members that its previously staunch supporters are moving away from the party. The party apparently intends to retain its more conservative voters by making clear its stance of focusing on policies relating to foreign residents.

Komeito, the LDP’s junior coalition partner, promises to enhance the functionality of the country’s immigration controls through such measures as including information about unpaid social insurance premiums by non-Japanese residents in residency examinations.

Sanseito won three seats in the Tokyo metropolitan assembly by calling for tightened controls on illegal foreign residents. Other parties apparently believe that Sanseito managed to achieve success by attracting voters who are wary of a perceived series of crimes by foreign nationals.

Among other opposition parties, the Japan Innovation Party promises to tighten controls on foreign residents. It calls for formulating a population strategy that includes measures to curb the rise in the proportion of foreign nationals and put limits on the total foreign population.

The Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and the Japanese Communist Party, in contrast, are promoting coexistence with foreign residents. The CDPJ’s election pledges include the enactment of a new law banning discriminatory remarks based on such reasons as a person’s racial background.

“Japan will be unable to keep going unless we accept people from other countries and have them work in the country,” CDPJ President Yoshihiko Noda told reporters on Monday in Isesaki, Gunma Prefecture.

Japan is facing a rapid population decline. With the size of the workforce also decreasing, it is vital for the country to accept foreign nationals. Under such circumstances, parties are trying to strike a balance between tightening regulations on and improving coexistence with foreign residents.

Meanwhile, many parties are also wary of being perceived as exclusionists.

In its election promises, the Democratic Party for the People initially pledged to “review excessive preferential treatment for foreign residents.” But the wording was revised to say that the party will “ensure the appropriate use of various systems that apply to foreign residents.”

“We received criticism that [the expression] sounds exclusionist. We revised it to dispel a misunderstanding,” said DPFP leader Yuichiro Tamaki.