Japanese Society and Foreign Residents — Anti-immigrant Extremism and Human Rights

Abstract

The tendencies for foreign workers to reside in Japan for long periods and, in the last decade, to appear increasingly as residents rather than just as workers have fomented social unrest in Japanese society. This chapter deals with the general attitude of Japanese society toward the presence of foreign workers, both illegal and legal, and discusses issues of anti-immigrant or anti-alien extremism within the society. The chapter then goes on to investigate a number of cases where a regime of international human rights has emerged as an element that may override distinctions based on nationality and citizenship within the society.