Japan's Ibaraki launches reward program for tips on illegal foreign workers

It's not about "how bad" the situation is, Japan has been famously consistent about their attitude toward outsiders.

Ibaraki Prefecture has the highest cases of illegal workers (driven by its agricultural industry), about 3500~ cases per year. Yes, not *alot* in the grand-scheme of things, but Japan is extremely strict when it comes to immigration and citizenship related matters.

"Can't they just wait until it's too late to fix the problem before doing anything?"

In kabuchiko they make business by scamming & harassing tourists.

A lot of companies hire foreign workers then confiscate their passports and threaten lawsuits against families at home if they break contract. It’s illegal, but some companies do it. Some companies also force Japanese workers to work until they die, so it’s not technically a foreigner thing, just an illegal thing. Another type of illegality is a company that hires people without proper work visas. Some visa overstayers or “tourists” would be an example. Those people also don’t have the same worker benefits or legal protections as proper workers, plus they don’t pay into the taxes and social benefits that others have to. That can be fine theoretically but if anything happens, then that person wouldn’t have any medical care or the government pays for their medical care that they didn’t pay for. The illegal worker situation doesn’t seem that bad but there are a lot of companies, both foreign and local, that could do with more policing, especially in labor-intensive and dangerous work.

True, the national average is low, but Ibaraki is a bit of a special case. It’s actually ranked #1 for undocumented workers for four years straight because of its huge farming and industrial sectors. The main concern for the local government isn't just the numbers, but the fact that these workers are often exploited by shady brokers without any legal protection. They’re trying to crack down on that underlying system. You can find the details on the Ibaraki Prefectural Government’s official site below (it's in Japanese, but you can get the gist with a browser translator):[https://www.pref.ibaraki.jp/soshiki/shokorodo/rosei/tsuho.html](https://www.pref.ibaraki.jp/soshiki/shokorodo/rosei/tsuho.html)

It’s appeal to the masses. Japanese people are afraid/don’t like foreigners for any number of reasons so a lot of politicians use them as the basis for their policies. Even if that means wasting resources chasing a relative non issue.

3.5% of Japan are migrant workers meaning about 4.5 million migrant workers are there. That's enough for 2 entire major cities like osaka. It's enough for parallel societies to develop

And out of the 3 - 4 people, how many are actually illegal? It is like political theater.

3-4 is way too much, every country should have such a program

This is just political moves meant to appease the Japanese far right due to the inability of successive governments to propose long term prospects. Just like in the west

It's the right wing script, just tell them what they want to hear regardless of if it actually matters or if you will do something about it

>Also, I often see people mock Japan by asking why it restricts immigration despite not having children. In reality, Japan’s birth rate is the highest in East Asia, and in some years it has even been higher than Spain or Thailand. Mongolia's TFR (an actual East Asian country) is \~2.4/woman. What's Japan's? Because I think you know just as well as I do that you're trying to obfuscate here with selective relative comparisons rather than give an actual number. >So rather than relying on outdated assumptions from 30 years ago about Japan’s immigration, suicide rate, or working hours, it would be better to update your understanding with current and accurate information. So, when it comes about that you've represented very clearly false or misleading information, it doesn't exactly help your credibility.

Racist* No need to use a lesser known term for it. It sorta implies there's justified nuance in their actions.

What a stupid argument to make though. “Oh no the foreigners are killing people they gotta go” when it’s like a single dude. Is the crime rate of a foreigner higher by 50% compared to Japanese people? Sure. But if you got a braincell or two, the crime rate of Japanese people is already so low even a 50% increase would still be lower than many other countries overall and insignificant. A Japanese dude killed his wife and burned the ashes at a zoo. Maybe kick that Japanese dude out of the country. Or maybe the stepdad that kill his kid.

Meanwhile Japanese dudes r*** and murder Japanese women all the time only to get less than 10 years in prison.

Do you think people will outright telling everybody else "HEY BUDDY, HOW ARE YOU? I AM PAUL, I AM HERE WORKING ILLEGALLY, HOW ABOUT YOU?" The reward program will just going to be a racist hotline, just like the ICE bullshit. You might get 1% legit report, but the rest is just a waste of taxpayer money to investigate and harass innocent people. With your comment, bet you think that's a good idea anyway.

Canada should absolutely take note, and then keep that note handy as a reminder of what to absolutely never f****** do.

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Demographic crisis is irrelevant, if they were open to immigration it still wouldn't help. Exhibit A: Western Europe has been subjected to mass immigration for 30 years, and pretty much all major Western European countries are still projected to hit a major demographic tipping point in the 2030s. France has an aging pyramid similar to Japan's and is projected to hit a dependency ratio of 70% by 2035. Germany is projected to have more deaths than births by 2040 and experience a falling population. This is all, despite mass immigration. Why? Because immigrants typically arrive in their 30s and 40s, and like natives, get old too. They receive citizenship and retire in Europe, adding to the the demographic burden of these countries. In addition, people that are migrants or of migrant descent tend to do awful in retirement. In the Netherlands, 40% of retirees of migrant descent live in poverty whilst only 4% of native retirees do. Similar trend in England and Germany. Finally, Western European nations are all economically stagnating just like Japan is; so clearly, mass immigration isn't the magical solution people like constantly tout. The Netherlands went from 98% native to 70% native within 35 years, and it is economically stagnating and declining just as much as Japan. Either mass immigration doesn't work, or the amount needed to actually provide major economic benefits is so absurd it'll be socially and culturally destructive making it unviable anyways. It's also better to be vigilant when it's a "small problem" than to only be vigilant when it becomes a huge issue. Unlike Western Europe, Japan doesn't have to worry about homegrown Islamic terrorist cells.

You’re looking at Japan from a first-world perspective. For many people in developing countries, even a difficult job in Japan can still mean better pay, safety, and opportunities than back home.

A lot of people come here from poorer countries like Vietnam, the Philippines, and Indonesia. 

That’s for corporate salary jobs same as if you were trying to get ahead at a law firm or in tech in the west. Low paying jobs are all hourly so you literally get paid for every hour you work. Lived and worked in Japan

I came from Canada. I make less, but it goes way further. I can afford a detached home in central Tokyo, which would have been impossible in Vancouver. Plus Tokyo has much more going on than Vancouver. My work hours are exactly the same and dental is included in medical.

A lot of the jobs being filled by illegal foreign workers (primarily from Vietnam, Philippines, China, etc) are menial labor jobs like farming, construction, and factory work. These sectors are hurting the most since Japan’s population is shrinking + aging, and most Japanese nowadays wanna work in business, corporate, services, etc.

I mean it's more likely people who want to live in Japan and just have to work there to make that lifestyle work

Some go to Japan to work as convenience store clerks or factory operators, some go there as white collar senior management.. Huge diversity of folks. I prefer to enjoy nice long vacations there.

Poor countries 3rd world like India , Pakistan, Afghanistan, Africa from migrating to Europe/ Australia/ US for better life.

This was because it was discovered that most of the companies in their prefecture were shell companies for illegal foreign workers.