Koichi Kodama, Attorney, Representative of Attorneys Fighting Against Detention, Hammersmith Oath
In April, the Japanese government revised its immigration law, creating a visa status called 'Specified Skilled Worker.' This represents a shift of the government's policy toward foreign workers as it confronts the reality of a labor shortage amidst an aging, declining population.
But newly arrived foreign workers must not be treated as mere laborers, but accepted as members of Japanese society. Furthermore, the human rights of foreign residents in Japan should be secured, regardless their legal status.
At present, there are about 80,000 foreign residents in Japan. Some are children who were born here. Some have family here. Others cannot go back to their home country for various reasons. At the same time, even as it says it wants more foreign workers, the government has tightened its control over foreign residents in recent years. More and more people have been kept in immigration bureau's detention centers for extended periods of time.
Ahead of 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, Japan should recall the basic concepts of Olympic Charter – respect for human rights and anti-discrimination, and the concept of Tokyo Olympics – diversity and harmony. Please join us as some of Japan's leading immigration and human rights experts look at the current situation and what still needs to be done to protect the rights of current, and future, foreign residents.