When a country says that they want skilled migrants to assist with a labour shortage and then increases visa fees by up to 200x, pay attention to the action not the rhetoric.
Visitors to Japan will often encounter the following questions by Japanese people:
- Where are you from?
- When did you come to Japan?
- Can you use chopsticks?
- Can you eat Sashimi/Nattou?
- When are you returning to your home country?
Even if you have previously made it clear that you have built a home, life or career in Japan, the unwritten expectation is that you are meant to return to your home country because you don't really belong. At least, that's my impression. And honestly, I don't feel that I am alone with this assessment.
Anecdotally, when teams within a corporation ask for only Japanese communications or where foreigners are targeted for not following social norms yet native Japanese are routinely ignored. And the denial of non-Japanese residents from returning "home" to Japan during Covid are just a few examples of now foreigners are made to feel unwelcome, even if they have made a serious commitment to this country.
Japanese businesses regularly state how they can't find enough workers and are eager to bring in those who are willing to put up with the low wages on offer in return for life in such a safe and stable country. But the society appears to do it's best to make sure these same vital workers are made to understand just how unwelcome they truly are.
It's just my two yen, for what that's worth. Have you felt that you were expected to leave Japan? Share your thoughts below.
