Videos circulating online show protesters gathering across Japan on Sunday to oppose what they view as as overly lenient immigration policies.

The demonstrations came less than a week after conservative lawmaker Sanae Takaichi was sworn in as Japan’s 104th—and first female—prime minister, following a campaign that tapped into a reservoir of growing anti-immigration sentiment .

The protests underscore ongoing skepticism among Japan’s right-wing circles that Takaichi and her ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) will go far enough to address their concerns.

Why It Matters

The number of foreign residents in Japan has risen steadily since the country reopened after the COVID-19 pandemic, reaching a record 3 percen t of the population in 2024, as Tokyo and local governments loosened vis

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