[Feature: How to Perceive an "Immigrant Society"] Welcoming the Year of the New Era in an Immigrant Society

In Japan, the term "immigration policy" has long been treated as a taboo, but that situation is currently undergoing a major shift. Through Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's repeated emphasis that Japan "will not adopt an immigration policy" during debates over the amendment of the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act (hereafter, the Immigration Control Act), this keyword has instead become widely recognized by the public. Some media outlets have also cautiously begun to use the term "immigration policy." As the Director of the Japan Immigration Policy Institute and a pioneer in Japanese immigration policy research, I am heartened that the term "immigration policy" has gained social acceptance.

However, judging from official views, Japan's top leaders still cling to a policy of national isolation regarding immigration. As the public grows increasingly alarmed by the potential disappearance of society and labor shortages, the day is likely near when politics that fail to read public opinion and the trends of the times will face their final moments.

In Western countries with long histories of accepting foreigners, they initially brought in foreigners as slave laborers through human trafficking. However, in the modern world, the best method for accepting foreigners is actually considered to be "immigration policy." Among Western immigration policy researchers, the terms "emigrant" (from the perspective of the migrant) and "immigrant" (from the perspective of immigration control) are primarily used. Not only has "slave laborer" become a forbidden term, but so has "foreign worker," a term frequently used in Japan.

Capable foreigners will not come to a country that views them only as a "labor force." Citizens who look down on foreigners as low-wage workers cannot build a symbiotic relationship with different ethnic groups. This is a common understanding among immigration policy experts.

The era of immigration isolation, which lasted for about 1,200 years, has ended. The time has come for Prime Minister Abe to speak in the Diet about "realizing a society of coexistence with foreigners." Furthermore, in a press conference on December 20, 2018, Emperor Akihito (now Emperor Emeritus) referred to the future of an immigrant society, saying, "I hope that we can all warmly welcome those who come to our country from various nations to work as members of our society." As we enter the year of the new era, the curtain has opened on an age where the people unite to create an immigrant society that serves as a model for the world.

The "Japanese-style immigrant society" I propose is a society that learns from the struggles Western immigrant nations face with social integration, emphasizes the Japanese concept of "Wa" (harmony), and firmly guarantees social inclusion through policy. First, it begins with education on the Japanese language and social customs, followed by vocational training such as the acquisition of specialized knowledge and skills, allowing individuals to play active roles in their respective fields. Then, at a stage three to five years later when they have achieved a stable life, permanent residency is granted, and they are allowed to acquire citizenship if they so desire.

Primary industries such as agriculture, forestry, and fisheries are seeing a sharp decline in the working population due to a lack of successors. Labor shortages are also severe in the construction, manufacturing, and distribution sectors. Small and medium-sized enterprises that support large corporations are collapsing because they have no one to take over. Even global companies like Toyota are crying out as it becomes difficult to secure engineers. These industrial sectors can only be supported through immigration policy.

By adopting an immigration policy, some regions will likely escape the crisis of community collapse. In recent years, record-breaking natural disasters such as earthquakes and typhoons have occurred across the country, and casualties have been concentrated in areas where the elderly make up the majority. Local communities that have lost their youth have lost the physical strength to withstand disasters. The only way for primary industries to survive is to accept young immigrants under residency statuses for agriculture or fisheries, promptly grant them permanent residency, and welcome them as members of society.

In an era of mass immigration, the number of immigrant children attending elementary and junior high schools will increase dramatically. In that case, multi-ethnic coexistence education for elementary and junior high school students will become important. It is necessary to fundamentally rethink the nature of early childhood, primary, and secondary education. Moving away from uniform education and valuing the individuality and diversity of children is essential for the stable development of an immigrant society.

Furthermore, the Japanese majority must respect the culture of the immigrant minority. We should aim for a society where the immigrants Japan accepts can maintain their ethnic characteristics. Otherwise, even if we bring in immigrants, we cannot create a society where diverse human resources can thrive.

Cultural education that teaches the essence of traditional Japanese culture and multi-ethnic coexistence education should be conducted as one. It is vital to create a "symbiotic society" composed of citizens who possess both a "Japanese heart" and a "global citizen's heart," rather than a rootless community that has lost its cultural identity.

A society where such broad-minded Japanese people form the majority is the ideal immigrant society I envision. I entrust the dream of creating a "human community society" to the children of Japan, who will grow into global citizens by learning alongside immigrants.

Regarding the development of laws and systems, it is first necessary to enact an "Immigration Law" as a basic law that defines the broad framework of Japan's system for accepting immigrants. As the basic philosophy of Japan's immigration policy, it should stipulate that Japan will broadly accept people of diverse nationalities from around the world from a fair and just standpoint, deepen friendly relations with countries worldwide, and contribute to world peace. In particular, if the text of the Immigration Law declares the goal of realizing a human community society where people of different nationalities, ethnicities, races, and religions coexist peacefully in Japan, it will undoubtedly serve as a model "Declaration of an Immigrant Nation" for the international community.

Regarding the formulation of a "Basic Plan for Accepting Immigrants," an Immigration Basic Policy Council chaired by the Prime Minister should first be established within the Cabinet to deliberate on basic policies such as the annual number of immigrants to be accepted, the industrial sectors and local governments permitted to accept immigrants, and the determination of annual immigration quotas by nationality. Next, a Cabinet minister in charge of immigration policy should be appointed, and an "Immigration Policy Agency" should be established as the secretariat for the Basic Policy Council. The Immigration Policy Agency would assist in the planning and drafting of immigration acceptance plans. Relevant ministries and agencies would then implement immigration policies based on the plans approved by the Diet. Seeking Diet approval is intended to ensure that immigration policy proceeds fairly and openly based on the consensus of politicians and the public.

In addition, the "Immigration Law" must place a balanced acceptance of people from countries worldwide at the core of immigration policy and include provisions that serve as the basis for quantitative regulations by country. In particular, it is important to conclude "Immigration Agreements" with a large number of friendly nations.

I view the modern world from the perspective of comparative civilization and recognize that the end of Western civilization, whose universality is fading, is approaching, and the world is entering an era of tectonic shifts. I have long argued that Japanese civilization, which possesses a spiritual culture and worldview distinct from the West, should bear a heavy responsibility in the creation of a new world civilization.

Currently, ideas of racial discrimination, religious discrimination, and the exclusion of immigrants are spreading rapidly in Western society. We must not allow world history to regress to an era dominated by ethnocentrism (the idea that one's own race and religion are superior), as represented by Hitler's mass murder of Jewish people. This is by no means someone else's problem for Japan.

In November 2016, I was interviewed by The Washington Post and The New York Times, both of which felt a strong sense of crisis regarding Mr. Trump's immigration policies that subverted the founding spirit of the United States. The reporters from both papers immediately understood the global significance of a Japanese-style immigration policy rooted in the idea of a human community.

This is because the Japanese people, who are polytheistic and rich in tolerance, have the potential to transform into a people with a sense of human brotherhood and establish a human community society by the end of this century. On the other hand, it is an extremely difficult task for Westerners, who have inherent feelings of superiority regarding religion and race, to create a human community society. As a prerequisite, they would need to wipe away the exclusive ethnic nature that has permeated the Western heart.

In reality, however, it must be said that Japan itself, which strictly adheres to the ideology of immigration isolation and slumbers in complacency, is far more irresponsible and problematic. The era in which Japan alone lives comfortably in the greenhouse of immigration isolation while other developed nations struggle with immigration issues has ended. There is no longer a moment to lose. The government should immediately decide to open the country to immigration. The public should resolve to create a "society that warmly welcomes immigrants as members of society."

Japan, which requires a large number of immigrants due to population decline, should promise the people of the world to warmly accept 10 million immigrants (including refugees) over 50 years. As immigrants and refugees are directly hit by humanitarian crises, if the Japanese government puts forward the "ideal of an immigrant society where humanity becomes one by overcoming differences in race and religion," the whole world will surely cheer the emergence of a "Humanitarian Immigration Superpower."

The 1960s and 70s, when I was a student, was an era of active student movements. However, as an ordinary young man who was non-political and desired a stable life, I chose a career as a national public servant. Yet, life is a journey where anything can happen. A life of struggling with the issue of ethnic discrimination, which no one wanted to touch, awaited me. Having joined the Immigration Bureau of the Ministry of Justice, which has jurisdiction over the immigration control of foreigners, the subjects of my administration were "Zainichi Koreans," "refugees," and "immigrants." I ended up being in charge of the problems facing minorities in Japanese society.

I energetically wrote papers focused on improving the treatment of ethnic minorities, starting with Zainichi Koreans. In the final years of my career as an administrator, I stepped into uncharted territory and devoted myself to creating a theory for an immigrant nation that would serve as a model for the world. Steadily accumulating achievements in the theoretical research of immigration policy led to further breakthroughs.

In 2005, after finishing my life as a national public servant, I encountered the work of saving Japan—which was facing a national crisis in the collapse of its population pyramid—through revolutionary immigration policy. For me, having walked the single path of immigration policy, it was truly a calling. I set high goals and approached this with sincerity as a volunteer activity. I lived a life free from the constraints of organizations and was active with a spirit of independence and self-respect.

Currently, having successfully fulfilled my major role, I am in a state of spiritual peace. I believe that my 44 years of doggedly writing papers, from my first paper in 1975 to the culmination of my immigration policy theories in 2019, created the person I am today, recognized by global experts as "Mr. Immigration." My family told me I was "only chasing dreams that can't be realized," but I lived my life with the motto "If you dream big, big flowers will bloom." Future historians might describe me as "Japan's greatest dreamer."