Japan Takes Action Against Overtourism And Foreign Tensions With New Government Body

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Japan, foreign residents and tourism: There is no such thing as too much tourism (in Japan) As Japan continues to welcome more tourists and foreign residents, the government has taken the bold action of creating a new government agency that will deal with any social problems that may arise due to over tourism and the difficulties of managing both their temporary and permanent foreign residents. The move comes amid growing anti-immigrant and anti-foreigner sentiment in Japan, and as the country gears up for its House of Councillors election in 2025.

Japan has recently experienced enormous growth in tourists and foreign residents. New figures show that Japan received 36.8 million tourists in 2024, a record high, boosted largely by visitors from the United States, South Korea, Europe, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. Foreigners in Japan totaled 3.8 million people, or about 3 percent of its population. The figures show a flourishing tourism industry, but with it, there have been difficulties reintegrating, negative public sentiment, and security.

Escalating Frustrations Leading up to National Voting

Foreign nationals in Japan have now become a contentious topic in the public narrative as the country prepares for the 2025 House of Councillors election. Japan has had notoriously strict immigration policies, ostensibly to preserve a “homogeneous population.” Yet such policies have been gradually relaxed in recent years, especially as the country grapples with an aging population and a shortage of labor. The change in the immigration policy increased the number of foreigners working and visiting Japan and raised questions about whether immigrants would become properly socialized to the norms of Japanese society.

The increase in foreign nationals has touched a nerve, especially since some political parties have proposed tightening laws for foreigners. The populist Sanseito party, which is rising in the polls, has embraced a “Japanese First” platform. Among its other proposals are an end to foreigners receiving welfare, a ban on them working in the public sector, and calling for stronger cultural integration. The party has seized on such proposals as it tries to appeal to voters who are uneasy at the growing presence of outsiders in Japan.

Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its coalition partner Komeito, meanwhile, are struggling with what to do about the issue. Their position also includes achieving “zero illegal foreigners” and strengthening the management of residence, but they are increasingly pinned in by political pressure to take a tougher line on foreigners. The LDP’s recommendations, submitted by representatives in June 2025, were designed to help the government better integrate foreign residents into Japanese society and manage their presence here more efficiently, with tougher standards for foreigners to obtain Japanese driver’s licenses and buy property.

New Department for Foreign Affairs

Faced with the increasing number of foreigners and frictions, the Japanese government has set up by the government a new office under the administrative agency, the Cabinet Secretariat, to take care of it. This new body will serve as a cross-agency control tower, operating across multiple government departments to deal with issues impacting permanent and temporary foreign residents and tourists.

‘The nation of Japan is the only place on this Earth where law and order have been preserved. “I understand that crimes and disruptive behaviour by some foreign nationals, as well as insufficient enforcement measures and use of certain governmental systems, have generated a sense of mistrust within the public,” Ishiba declared at the opening ceremony of the new body. His comments mirror an anxiety within the government that the increasing number of foreigners is causing social disruption, not to mention the erosion of the happiness of the Japanese people.

The creation of this new government organization is also just one part of a larger initiative to address the troubles caused by overtourism, a problem that has, in recent years, become most pronounced in major cities such as Tokyo and Kyoto. With tourism growing, the country has been under strain from infrastructure and cultural sites alike. The newly created body intends to facilitate the management of foreign visitors to maintain sustainable growth in the tourism industry, as well as address social issues that spread along with the increasing number of foreign travelers.

Mixed Reactions and Public Opinion

The body to manage foreign relations is welcomed by some as a step in the right direction, but critics and skeptics are suspicious of the move from different quarters. Opponents say these measures may lead to increasing xenophobia and social division, following a trend of populist rhetoric in the run-up to the elections. Individuals in the Sanseito, in particular, have called for an even more fundamental re-imagining of Japan’s immigration policy, tied to a crackdown on foreign residents to force them to be culturally Japanese and not visible in the street or other aspects of sociable life.

But an influx of foreigners also will see ISOC as a welcome step to managing the rising foreign population, they argue. Japan has been confronted by an ageing population and is looking to address the ageing workforce while keeping the economy on track, so it is impossible to ignore the place foreigners will have in the country’s future. So, you want some foreign labor and you want cultural diversity, but you also need to keep social cohesion and public safety.

Looking to the Future

The move highlights a change in the mindset of Japan when it comes to managing its foreign population, which is evolving amid a rapidly changing global landscape and severe demographic pressures. Slowly but surely, as Japan prepares for the 2025 elections, immigration and foreign residents will become an increasingly hot topic for the general debate.

Once again, Japan’s ageing population and declining workforce are playing out and we must embrace new methods and ways that fully encompass foreign nationals whilst holding on to what is truly Japanese. The creation of an independent body to run the affairs is merely one step in this continuing attempt to manage the upside of a more open society and the concomitant downside.

As modern Japan makes its way through the 21st century, the fear of embracing the new will continue to be present in the minds of many as the challenge of maintaining the Japanese identity in the face of change confronts it. The establishment of this governmental body could signal the start of a more coherent strategy to handle Japan’s relationship with people from outside the country, both in Japan as well as those who visit.

(Source: Japanese Government, National Election Reports, Ministry of Justice, Tourism Industry Reports)