FOREIGNERS LIVING IN SHINJUKU?: MORE “FAVORABLE” JAPANESE RESPONSE
As the acceptance of foreign workers and other immigrants continues to grow, comments expressing resistance to immigration are becoming increasingly noticeable on the Internet and in other media.
On the other hand, a survey conducted by Shinjuku City, Tokyo, which has a large number of foreign residents, revealed that the number of positive opinions about living with foreigners greatly exceeded the number of negative opinions, an increase from the previous survey.
With more than 43,000 foreign residents, Shinjuku City in Tokyo is one of the municipalities with the largest number of foreign residents in Japan, accounting for about 12.6% of the population. In August 2023, the ward conducted a “Multicultural Survey” of a total of 7,000 randomly selected residents (5,000 foreign residents and 2,000 Japanese residents), and announced the results in February of this year. The valid responses were 21.2% from foreigners and 38.4% from Japanese.
When Japanese residents were asked about their thoughts on having foreigners living in their neighborhoods, a total of 38.9% responded “favorable” or “somewhat favorable” in the affirmative. Negative responses of “unfavorable” and “somewhat unfavorable” totaled 10.8%, with positive responses far outnumbering negative responses.
Younger generations were more likely to respond in the affirmative, with a total of 54.6% of those aged 18-19 and 52.9% of those aged 20-29. On the other hand, those aged 70 and older had the lowest percentage at 26.9%, but this was still more than twice the number of negative responses.
This is the third time the survey has been conducted. Positive responses totaled 21.2% in 2007 and 22.1% in 2003. Negative responses totaled 20.7% in 2007 and 16.9% in 2003. As the number of foreign residents increased, the number of Japanese who responded positively also increased.
ASAHI NEWS
March 12, 2024
https://www.asahi.com/articles/ASS3C4CJGS38PTIL00D.html
