15 comments on “DEBITO.ORG READERS’ ISSUES OF CONCERN, POST-ELECTION FEBRUARY 2026”

• February 9, 2026 at 1:39 pm

  Niklas says:

  I don’t really have anything to say, but it is kinda interesting how easily predictable Japanese politics are.

  Everyone here on debito.org predicted that the LDP under Takaichi will go full fascist mode to take away votes from Sanseito. Funnily enough some journalists who should now better claimed that the Unification Church scandal could potentially bring down the LDP, but everyone who’s even a bit familiar with Japanese politics knew that they would easily bounce back. As predicted, it was viewed as a “foreign problem” and since Takaichi is “tough on foreigners”, she will surely deal with those Unification foreigners the right way (and not take bribes).

  LDP will govern Japan till the end of time and nobody can convince me otherwise. The only thing that still amazes me, even after 20 years, is how all the opposition parties except for the Communist Party have no backbone. Amazing how the completely fold every 10 years or so and somehow think that a name change will do the trick, while they literally stand for nothing (Centrist Alliance? really?).

  Only interesting thing is if Takaichi will become the female Abe like she wants to, or if she’ll be gone after 1-2 years, like almost every PM except Abe. Article 9 is pretty much done for in my opinion. I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s gone completely in the next 5 years. Not going to be good for regional peace, but I honestly gave up on peace and the human race in general (like George Carlin). For some reason, whether it’s Japan, Europe, or the US, warmongers always get in power at the end.

  Anyways, I’m looking forward to all the gaijin handlers explaining how getting rid of Article 9 and reintroducing WW 2 military ranks is going to be good for world peace (and that Japan needs a permanent security seat of course).

  Reply
• February 14, 2026 at 9:17 pm

  JK says:

  @Gary,

  Come on JK, just stop flooding this website with reams of AI manufactured statements of fact, it’s boring.

  For the record, my most recent AI-related post was on January 18, 2026 at 5:43 pm. All of my posts since then have been “AI-free”:

  January 28, 2026 at 9:56 pm
  January 28, 2026 at 10:24 pm
  January 28, 2026 at 10:34 pm
  January 31, 2026 at 10:31 pm
  February 7, 2026 at 10:32 pm
  February 7, 2026 at 10:50 pm
  February 5, 2026 at 11:55 pm
  February 6, 2026 at 11:54 pm
  February 7, 2026 at 11:21 pm
  February 7, 2026 at 11:34 pm
  February 7, 2026 at 11:54 pm
  February 8, 2026 at 12:08 am

  If anything, I am guilty of ‘flooding’ this website with reams of non-AI manufactured statements of fact!

  Post us a link of the information you wish to convey and if, we likewise, have a crush on AI, we’ll go to your link.I’ve been active on this site for 25+ years and while I’ve far from agreed with a lot that Debito has posted, I’ve enjoyed perusing this site.Your AI posts are making recent ‘perusings’ heavy going.

  As of February 7, 2026 at 10:32 pm I began posting entire articles along with the links due to articles disappearing behind paywalls, so I’m afraid that even my “AI-free” posts won’t get getting any lighter.

  I’ve been considering using an LLM to summarize / consolidate articles for easier consumption and clearly denoting them as such (My post on January 10, 2026 at 2:18 pm was my first attempt at this and my post on January 18, 2026 at 2:37 pm was my second). This way, should the linked-to article disappear, you and other Debito.org readers could simply scroll down to a ‘— BEGIN AI GENERATED CONTENT —‘ section and peruse that instead of slogging through multiple articles (especially if they are only available in Japanese).

  PS. As someone who’s heavily involved in programming

  @Dr. Debito, if you’ll allow me to go off-topic for just a bit…

  OK, what’s your favorite language and why? Mine? Pascal (yes, I’m an old guy).

  ask your favorite AI ‘bod’ – ask them all – the following question. ‘The sack of potatoes has been placed below the bag of flour, so it had to be moved first. What had to be moved first?’

  Since you asked, I put the question to Claude Opus 4.6; here’s what it had to say:

  The bag of flour has to be moved first, since it’s on top of the sack of potatoes.

  You stated:

  All AI bods will reply to you, ‘The sack of potatoes has to be removed first’.

  Care to proffer a theory as to why this model responded the way it did?

  In the kingdom of the blind, the one-eyed man is king. The eye missing with AI, is human cogitation. AI, as it presently exists, is mainly a glorified Python programming language construct – good at gathering data/information, but useless, without the correct algorithmic input, at making judgmental / moral calls.

  With all due respect, I disagree with your assessment of the technology. It’s like stating that the transformer architecture underlying modem LLMs is merely a steroid-enhanced pattern recognition engine. And in case you are wondering, no, AI was not involved in the generation of this response (I’m old guy, not a dumb old guy).

  So please, give us a rest from these mega-space consuming AI posts

  Here’s my suggestion: present a technical solution or policy solution to Dr. Debito for his consideration.

  For example, suggest he install a WordPress plugin that replicates the functionality of Confluence’s expand macro in order to prevent long posts from cluttering the site.

  Or suggest he establish and enforce a AI policy applicable to all contributors (i.e., instead of just one).

  And if he chooses to do nothing? Well, you can just skip my posts, right?

  and if you really want to understand the flaws of AI and have 4 years to spare, learn modern JavaScript ES 6 (2015).

  I do understand the flaws/pitfalls and don’t have 4 years to spare learning JavaScript. But assuming I did, it seems that learning a more modern language like Python or Rust would be better suited for your proposed exercise.

  — For the record, I appreciate having articles translated from Japanese to English, and if AI can do that ACCURATELY and more quickly than we can (I simply have no time anymore when I’m teaching more than 400 students per semester), I’m positively predisposed to it. I trust that JK will verify the accuracy of the translations, and as long as he continues to post the original links so we can check for ourselves, that’s a lot more information archived here from the vernacular press that we can process in real time.

  Reply
  • February 16, 2026 at 8:39 pm

    JK says:

    @Dr. Debito: FWIW, I’m now including verbiage in my posts where AI-generated content is used to indicate that a human being (i.e., me) reviewed said content for accuracy.

    Reply
• February 14, 2026 at 9:41 pm

  JK says:

  Here’s a welcome change in the status quo!: Grad student’s film shows plight of detained foreigners

  From the article:

  Inspired by the tragic death of a Sri Lankan woman in a detention facility, an art school grad student faced a controversial immigration issue head-on and produced a feature film for his graduation project.
In a rare development, the film “Imaginary Line” is also being screened at a Tokyo cinema.
The movie encourages the audience to imagine the plight of foreign nationals in Japan where tougher immigration policies are being considered.
Director Kensho Sakamoto, 27, completed the film in 2024 for his graduation project at Tokyo University of the Arts (Geidai) Graduate School of Film and New Media.
The title derives from a technical term in filmmaking, which refers to an abstract line connecting characters facing each other.
Sakamoto thought it could also represent a line that cruelly divides people in a society where some members have no residency status.
The story centers around Yume, who was born in Japan but has no residency status because her Nigerian mother illegally entered Japan, and her friend Fumiko.
One day, Yume travels to another prefecture from her place of residence without permission. She is taken away by a police officer and ends up in an immigration detention facility.
The strong-minded Yume is exhausted and gradually begins to feel hopelessness about her life in Japan.
Fumiko, meanwhile, finds herself increasingly angry at the absurdity of Yume not being released from the facility.
Sakamoto took an interest in the immigration control system in 2021 after learning in a news report about Wishma Sandamali, who died at the Nagoya Regional Immigration Services Bureau facility.
While Sakamoto was thinking about the theme for his graduation project in 2023, it was reported that the revised Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Law was enacted.
He felt an urge to deliver a movie to the world that would make people want to learn about the immigration control law and refugees even if they have no interest in such issues.
In preparation for the project, the director frequently visited immigration detention facilities in Tokyo’s Shinagawa Ward and Ushiku in Ibaraki Prefecture to interview detainees. He also met foreign nationals on provisional release who were allowed to live temporarily outside the facilities.
He met a total of about 40 detainees and foreigners on provisional release. 
“I listened to their stories to understand their fears, discontent and anxieties,” he said.
One of the detainees was left dumbfounded and couldn’t have conversations with him, while a young person on provisional release asked Sakamoto how to find a part-time job requiring no residency status.
As he continued making visitations, he started wanting to convey that there are people whose rights are severely restricted when they just want to live like “Japanese people.”
Masato Hojo, manager of Eurospace, an arthouse cinema in Tokyo’s Shibuya district that offers a showcase of graduation projects from Geidai for one week every year, praised “Imaginary Line.”
Sakamoto gained cooperation from Eurospace to have the film shown solely at the theater this year, two years after it was completed.
“It ends without solving anything, has no happy ending or doesn't condemn anybody, but it lingers in the heart,” Hojo said.
Graduation projects from Geidai come in many varieties, ranging from artistic films to entertainment movies, he said, adding, “I have never seen a graduation work with such a strong social message.”
Currently, photos and videos are often posted on social media to expose the faces of foreign nationals, making them targeted for slanderous comments.
The government is considering imposing restrictions on accepting foreigners and introducing a more rigorous screening system for foreign residents on grounds of "public anxieties."
“I feel like we have become too narrow-minded when it comes to dealing with foreigners,” Sakamoto said. “I intended the film to encourage people to think again.”
“Imaginary Line” is currently being shown at Eurospace before it will be screened in Osaka and Aichi prefectures and elsewhere.

  Reply
• February 14, 2026 at 10:01 pm

  JK says:

  Re-posting this here per Dr. Debito’s suggestion:

  Looks like we’re going to need a DEBITO.ORG READERS’ ISSUES OF CONCERN, FEBRUARY 2026  for all of the election-related commentary this month!

  Here’s a potential first post for said blog entry courtesy of Claude Sonnet 4.5 doing translation duties on this Youtube video:

  「外国人はもういらない」川口市長選で飛び交う“外国人排斥” クルド人が経営する店にはYoutuberが押し寄せ…異例の選挙戦で市民の選択は？【news23】｜TBS NEWS DIG

  “We Don’t Need Foreigners Anymore”: Anti-Foreigner Rhetoric Dominates Kawaguchi Mayoral Race as YouTubers Swarm Kurdish-Owned Shops — What Did Voters Decide in This Unprecedented Election?

  Yesterday, Okamura Yusaku won his first term as mayor of Kawaguchi City in Saitama Prefecture. Looking back at the campaign, with riot police on hand, the atmosphere was undeniably strange. The reason? Two candidates campaigned on platforms of foreign-resident exclusion

  .“A town where Japanese people live most comfortably and foreigners find it hardest to live. We’ll end all preferential policies for foreigners. Forced deportation. I promise you. We don’t need foreigners anymore.”

  In response, protesters holding signs reading “Stop the Discrimination” clashed with supporters, and tensions nearly boiled over. In the end, the two candidates who pushed extreme anti-foreigner rhetoric each won more than 17,000 votes.

  Furukawa has received endorsement from a political organization led by Kawai Kousuke, a Saitama resident who has been vocal about excluding foreign nationals. Their primary target: “We will completely drive out the Kurds living in Kawaguchi City. Let me be clear. I absolutely will not tolerate them.”

  Social media has been flooded with posts like this from the mayor for years. Could these online messages have influenced public opinion? In a survey conducted by Kawaguchi City last year, when asked what they disliked most about the city, 54.1% of residents said “poor public safety”—the highest figure on record. However, according to interviews with the Saitama Prefectural Police and others, while the foreign population in Kawaguchi increased by more than 4,300 over the past five years, the number of crimes committed by foreigners has actually decreased.

  Furukawa also made this claim: “The current mayor, Mr. Oku, has been threatened by Kurds. He admits it himself. So this time too, he’s unable to act—he can’t deal with foreigners anymore.”

  When we checked with Kawaguchi City, they flatly denied that the mayor had been threatened by Kurds—there is no such fact.

  When asked, “If Mr. Furukawa has done something wrong, I apologize. But don’t you think this campaign amounts to hate speech?” he replied, “Yes, I suppose so. What do you think?”

  As baseless rumors spread, Waqas Chaudhary, who leads the Kurdish community in the city, says he receives defamatory emails every single day. “

  Get out of Japan. If you don’t leave, we’ll kill all the Kurds. That’s the kind of thing I’m getting.”

  In December last year, a group of YouTubers suddenly descended on a kebab shop run by a Kurdish friend. “Out of nowhere, about six people showed up and started filming the shop, shouting things, doing interviews.” The YouTubers pointed their cameras at the shop. At the center of the group was Kawai.

  “Are Kurds coming? When Kurds come, it becomes a problem.”

  But there are also people speaking out against the spreading discrimination and xenophobia. “Stop the hate speech.” Last month, a demonstration opposing hate speech and similar rhetoric was held in Kawaguchi, with many participants marching through the city with police escort. Some residents waved as they passed.

  As xenophobic rhetoric escalates with each election, Waqas says: “There are issues that come from daily life and cultural differences, so the key is dialogue. Rather than excluding them, I think we should be thinking together about how we can make this work.”

  Two candidates who ran on xenophobic platforms lost, but each still captured around 17,000 votes. What do you make of these results?

  “Well, what we should really focus on here is the voter turnout. It nearly doubled from 21% four years ago. I think many voters concluded that electing a xenophobic mayor would be a bad thing, and that’s what brought them to the polls.

  “Of course, it’s only natural that foreign residents follow Japanese laws and rules. But at the same time, many people understand that without the cooperation of foreign workers, our economy and social services simply can’t function. In that sense, most people believe that coexistence is the only path forward. And I think this election shows that voters—in their own quiet way—made the choice to reject xenophobia. That’s a very positive lesson as we think about how to address these issues going forward.”

  ASR (automatic speech recognition) source text here:

  昨日埼玉県の川口市長で初当選を果たした岡村ゆ越戦を振り返り起動隊も来てですね、やっぱり異様な雰囲気だなと。その理由は2人の候補者による外国人廃斥の訴えです。日本人が1番住みやすく外国人が住みにくい町外国人の優遇政策。これ全部やめます。強制でうなんですよ。約束します。外国人がもういらない。これに対し差別をやめろなどのプラカードを掲げる人々が仕掛け一速発になる場面も。結果として外国人に対する過激な主張を展開した2人はそれぞれ1万7000以上の表を集めました。古川市は外国人廃を訴える埼玉の川井介氏が代表を務める政治団体から認を受けています。そのターゲットは川口市に住むクルド人は一掃します。はっきり言ます。絶対許しません。SNSでも数年前からこうした市長の投稿が多く見られるようになっています。こうしたSNSなどが影響しているのでしょうか?川口市が去年行った調査では市の良くないところという問に対し治安が悪いと答えた市民が54.1%に登り過去最多となりました。しかし、埼玉県警などへの取材によると、ここ5年間で川口市に住む外国人は4300人余り増えた一方、外国人の警報の謙虚は減少しています。古川市はこんな発言も今の師匠ね、奥木さんもクルシから共惑されたりしてるんですよ。本人は得てます。と、だから今回省も無理だとこれ以上もう外国人関わってないと少な川口市に確認したところ市長がクルド人から脅迫されたという事実はないと明確に否定古川にすとが何かしてましたら申し訳ないですねさせて選挙に足りたヘイドスピーチなんじゃないかっていう発電もそういはい、どう考えました?事実に基づかない視聴が拡散する中、市内でクルド人コミュニティを引きるワッカス長落さんの元には毎日のように誹謗中傷のメールが届くと言います。あの、日本から出ていけ、出て、出ていかなながら黒人がみんな殺すと、あの、ま、こういう風に、え、抱えていますね。去年12月にはクルド人の友人が経営するケバ店に突然YouTuberの集団が押しかけてきました。あの、何も強化なくていきなり6人ぐらいで行ってこっちでお店に向けて、あの、動画撮ったり、あの、わ言ったり、インタビューし、店手にカメラを向けるYouTuberたち。その中心には川師がました。来るの?来ると人間広がる差別や災害主義に声をあげる人々もいます。ヘイトスピーチだ。先月川ムしてヘイトスピーチなどに反対するデモが行われ、多くの人が警戒共に内を練り歩きました。手を振る住民の姿もみ選挙の旅にエスカレートする外主義的な主張にワッカスさんは日常生活だったり文化の違うという問いのがあるのでそれのキーも対話なんです。彼らが排除するじゃなくて、あの、ま、一緒にどういう風に、あの、すればうまくいけるか、それを考えるべきだと私は思っています。災害主義を掲げた候補が楽戦、ただそれぞれ1万7000秒ほど獲得しているという、ま、この結果ですけれども、こさん、どう考えます?そうですね。今回注目すべきはこの投票率なんですね。はい。4年前の21%から今回倍近くになってるんですけど、おそらく多くの有権者がですね、海外主義の市長が誕生するのはよろしくないと判断して投票所に向かったんだと思いますね。はい。ま、あの、外人の人が日本の法律とかルールに従っていだくの、これ当然のことなんですが、やっぱり一方でその経済活動とかね、福祉の現場でその外国人の協力がないともう立ち行かないっていうのはもう多くの人々が知っているわけで、そういう点ではやっぱり強制の道を探っていくしかないというのはとんどの人たちが思っているわけで、そういう有権者が今回そのあるある意味ではその静かに判断して、え、肺主義ではない法を選んだというのは1つこうこの問題を考える解決策の1つとして出てくる非常にあのいい経験かなと思いますね。

  Reply
• February 14, 2026 at 10:12 pm

  JK says:

  My term for “political opportunists”? ‘Roaches’: INTERVIEW: Japan populist parties fueling unfounded fears: European scholar

  
TOKYO - Acting as "political entrepreneurs," rising right-wing Japanese populist parties in recent years have been fueling fears about issues that do not match the country's reality, according to an observation by a European expert in comparative politics.

  Daniele Caramani, a professor at the University of Zurich, said it remains unclear whether such parties' gains in popularity and political ground will prove durable. But he said their views may be drawing attention amid generational change in Japan, with diminishing sensitivities over the country's past militarism.

  While rhetoric centered on "national identity" and opposition to immigration echoes trends in Europe and the United States, the actual circumstances in Japan differ markedly from those regions, Caramani, an Italian scholar, said in a recent interview with Kyodo News in Tokyo.

  His remarks came as the populist Sanseito party, known for its "Japanese First" slogan, expanded its presence in the Feb. 8 House of Representatives election by winning 15 seats, up from the two it held previously and continuing the surge seen in the July 2025 House of Councillors poll.

  Another small opposition group, the Conservative Party of Japan, which has criticized Japan's acceptance of foreign workers on visas as effectively opening the door to immigration, also drew attention when it won two seats in last year's upper house race, although it lost its sole lower house seat in this month's election.

  But Caramani argued that while the language is familiar, there is "no real immigration" in Japan. "This shows that these parties are really political entrepreneurs. They create a 'reality,' but sometimes it's not there."

  According to data from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development from 2024, foreign residents accounted for around 3 percent of Japan's population, a level far lower than in most other developed nations, where the share reaches 10 percent or more.

  Still, reports of foreigners misusing public services or engaging in problematic behavior have attracted attention in Japan, with parties including Sanseito seeking to capitalize on the concerns, presenting themselves as taking a tough stance.

  Caramani said it is difficult to predict whether Sanseito will be able to sustain its momentum but warned that international developments such as U.S. President Donald Trump's pressure on Greenland may prompt people to begin to view exclusionary nationalism as "dangerous."

  "If you go 'your country first,' you might also get very isolated," Caramani said, questioning whether such ideas can maintain long-term public support in smaller nations that are in a vulnerable position in a "world of predators" where "might is right."

  Caramani also said that nationalism, which has long been considered "taboo" in Japan due to its wartime history, may be resurfacing due to a generational change -- a development he says has parallels in Europe.

  In the lower house election, the Liberal Democratic Party led by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, known for her conservative political stance and hawkish security views, scored a historic landslide victory by winning more than a two-thirds majority.

  Caramani is the winner of the internationally prestigious Stein Rokkan Prize for Comparative Social Science Research in 2004.


  Reply
• February 15, 2026 at 1:31 am

  JK says:

  What follows is an English translation (courtesy of GPT-5.1) of the ASR (automatic speech recognition) text from the following YouTube video: ドライバーの半数近くが外国人 福岡市のタクシー会社に密着「稼げるようになった」インバウンド増加で活躍 ”強みは会話”

  Nearly Half the Drivers Are Foreigners: Inside a Fukuoka Taxi Company – “Now I Can Really Earn”
  Inbound Tourism Brings More Work, and Their Biggest Strength Is Conversation

  [On location – in the taxi]

  Sakai: “Thank you very much.”
  Aaron: “In English, please.”
  Sakai: “Ah—thank you.”

  Narration: This is Mr. Gransey Aaron from the U.K.He taught English conversation for 20 years, but last September he started driving a taxi.

  Sakai: “In your previous job, you didn’t have social insurance, right?”
  Aaron: “Right. And I’ve got a family, so I really do need that. Here I get proper pension and everything. And I can actually make more money doing this. I mean, it depends, but…”
  Sakai: “So your take-home pay has gone up?”
  Aaron: “Yeah, it’s gone up a lot. Before, things were pretty tight, but now it’s a lot easier.”
  Sakai: “Really?”
  Aaron: “Yes.”

  Narration: He’s still a brand-new driver, but he says he enjoys the work.

  Sakai: “So you used to be an English teacher. How old are you now?”
  Passenger (young man): “I’m 22.”
  Aaron: “22? I was probably already teaching when you were born—22 years ago.”
  Passenger: “Oh, really?”
  Aaron: “Yeah.”
  Passenger: “You don’t look it!”
  Aaron: “Right? I’m 46 now.”
  Passenger: “No way!”
  Aaron: “Yep. I’ve got three kids too.”

  Narration: Mr. Aaron works at Azuma Taxi in Higashi Ward, Fukuoka City. For the past three years, the company has been actively hiring foreign drivers.

  Sakai (in office): “What’s this?”
  Staff: “This is last month’s revenue ranking.”
  Sakai: “Oh, the top names are almost all written in katakana.”
  Staff: “The Japanese drivers are fighting hard too, but yeah, these days they’re the ones struggling to keep up.”

  Narration: Of the 53 drivers, 24 are foreigners—almost half. Four more foreign drivers have already been offered jobs, and that number is expected to keep growing.

  Even in the office, you hear English everywhere.

  Sakai (to foreign driver A): “What’s the most fun part of the job?”
  Foreign driver A: “You meet all kinds of people.”“And we get a lot of tips.”
  Sakai: “Really?”
  Foreign driver A: “Yeah, everyone gets them. Some days I’ll get like ¥30,000 (about $200) just in tips.”
  Sakai: “No way.”
  Foreign driver A: “Totally normal.”

  [Break room]

  Trainer (Pakistani senior driver): “Brakes are all good.”“That’s okay. Fuel’s okay too. This is fine as well.”

  Narration: This is Aslam, a new hire from Pakistan.

  Sakai (to Aslam): “So you’re aiming for the very top spot in sales?”
  Aslam: “Yeah, number one.”
  Sakai: “And your take-home would be…?”
  Aslam: “About ¥500,000 (about $3,300).”
  Sakai: “Around ¥500,000?”
  Aslam: “Yeah. Here, the more you work, the more you earn. If I really push, I think I can probably make around ¥400,000 (about $2,600).”
  Sakai: “Wow, that much.”

  Narration: On this day, he’s in the middle of his third day of on-the-job ride training.
  His trainer is also from Pakistan.

  Trainer (in the car): “With left-hand traffic, you’ve really got to stay as far left as you can.”
  Aslam: “Ah, okay, okay.”

  Narration: He gets detailed coaching in their native language.

  Sakai (to trainer): “What kind of training are you doing today?”
  Trainer: “Today I’ll show him how to use the DiDi ride-hailing app—how to handle it if we get a booking from a customer.”

  Narration: They start training on the DiDi taxi dispatch app.

  Trainer (looking at phone): “Oh, we just got a DiDi booking.”
  “Right—‘Please arrive at the pickup point by 15:51.’”
  Aslam: “Got it.”
  Trainer: “If you don’t know the destination, you just enter ‘Tenjin 2-chome 4’ into your phone.”

  Narration: Once they accept a dispatch order, they pull up the pickup point in the map app on their smartphone and follow the guidance.

  Trainer: “Street hails are actually harder. They just say where they want to go and sometimes I have no idea where that is, but with the app the destination is already entered. It’s easier to handle, easier to drive. You look at it and go, ‘Oh, that’s where it is.’”

  Aslam (to passenger): “Just so you know, I’m still in training—training driver here.”
  Passenger: “Okay, please go ahead.”
  Aslam (aside): “My driving is fine, I just don’t want to get yelled at.”

  Narration: Once the passenger is on board, he simply follows the route shown by the dispatch app and arrives at the destination.

  Aslam (driving): “There’s a bit of a traffic jam.”

  Narration: But there’s no getting lost; everything goes smoothly.

  Passenger: “Thank you very much.”

  [Industry context – narration]

  Narration: Since the pandemic, taxi companies all over Japan have been struggling with driver shortages. Against that backdrop, starting last year, the written test for the Class 2 license—required to drive a taxi—became available in 20 different languages.

  According to the Fukuoka City Taxi Association, the number of drivers is gradually recovering, and the operating rate has improved from 57.6% during the pandemic to 68.4% as of last month. Within that, Azuma Taxi—so proactive about hiring foreign drivers—has reached a remarkable 95% operating rate.

  Foreign drivers also bring unique strengths.

  Sakai (at airport taxi stand, to foreign driver B): “About what percentage of your passengers are foreigners?”
  Foreign driver B: “Around 80%.”
  Sakai: “80%?”
  Foreign driver B: “Yeah, this is the international terminal, after all.”
  Sakai: “How do you handle communication?”
  Foreign driver B: “I just stay quiet. They show me their smartphone and I take them to that destination.”
  Sakai: “So you don’t really talk.”
  Foreign driver B: “Right.”
  Sakai: “That sounds tough.”
  Foreign driver B: “Yeah, if you can’t speak English, it’s hard. That’s why I use translation apps too.”

  Narration: For Mr. Aaron from the U.K., English of course is his native language.

  Aaron (to passenger): “Is the temperature okay back there? Do you have a favorite Japanese food?”
  Passenger: “What?”
  Aaron: “Oh, ramen. Have you tried it?”
  Passenger: “[inaudible]?”
  Aaron: “It’s in [inaudible], kind of a hidden little place—black tonkotsu ramen.”

  Narration: Almost all of Azuma Taxi’s foreign drivers speak English.That’s a huge asset when dealing with foreign passengers who don’t speak Japanese.

  Aaron (about passengers): “We’re basically on equal footing, you know? We can talk like friends.”

  Sakai: “Have you had trips out to more distant sightseeing spots?”
  Aaron: “Yeah, the farthest was Sasebo.”
  Sakai: “If you hadn’t spoken English, you wouldn’t have gotten that customer, right?”
  Aaron: “Right. That fare was ¥43,200 (about $280). I remember it exactly.”

  Narration: With dispatch apps and the Class 2 written test now available in multiple languages, the barriers to entry have come down. At the same time, inbound tourism is booming, giving foreign drivers more chances to shine. They may turn out to be the saviors of a taxi industry plagued by driver shortages.

  [In the studio]

  Anchor: “We’re now joined by reporter Sakai, who covered this story. Thank you.”
  Sakai: “Thanks for having me.”

  Anchor: “How was it, being followed around like that while you were reporting?”
  Sakai: “I spent two days with them, and everyone just looked like they were really enjoying their work. They put a ton of effort into customer service, and passengers would actually say, ‘That was fun,’ as they got out of the cab. Performance numbers are up as well, so it’s a win for the company too. Seeing everyone smiling left a really strong impression on me.”

  Sakai: “Let’s take a quick look at where the taxi industry stands right now. I think a lot of people feel like it’s gotten harder to catch a cab. Over the last 20 years, the number of drivers nationwide has dropped by 150,000. The biggest factor is the aging workforce. The average age is 60.2. And if you look at the job-to-applicant ratio, it’s 9.11—that’s incredibly high. Companies are basically fighting over every single driver they can find. The labor shortage is that severe.”

  “In this situation, the government is trying to help by easing work visa requirements and, as we saw in the segment, offering the Class 2 written test in 20 languages. And maybe the biggest factor is the dispatch apps: they show you the route, so you can do the job even if you don’t know the streets well. All of this has created a much more favorable environment for foreign workers.”

  Anchor: “Mr. Motomura, what did you think watching this piece?”
  Motomura (commentator): “I thought it was fascinating. We keep hearing that self‑driving cars are coming, but they’re still not here. In the meantime, I think hiring people with foreign roots is a great approach. Their ‘disadvantage’ actually becomes a strength—they can overcome language barriers and turn that into an asset. It’s a really good idea. It does make me wonder what other taxi companies are doing if they’re not going this far.”

  Anchor: “So other companies aren’t quite as aggressive?”
  Sakai: “Right. Azuma Taxi is actually an outlier right now. When we asked the Fukuoka City Taxi Association, they said this approach hasn’t really spread through the industry yet. If it did, I think it could go a long way toward solving the driver shortage problem.”

  Anchor: “And everyone there really works hard.”
  Sakai: “They do. The fact that the more they work, the more they earn seems to be a big motivator. They mentioned tips earlier—he’s not the only one; the other drivers are getting them too.”
  Anchor: “Are those tips mostly from foreign tourists?”
  Sakai: “No, Japanese passengers as well.”
  Anchor: “I’ve never tipped a taxi driver in Japan.”
  Motomura: “Me neither. But I can imagine wanting to—wanting to support them, to say, ‘Keep it up.’”

  Anchor: “It probably changes the atmosphere inside the company too, doesn’t it?”
  Sakai: “Definitely.”

  Anchor: “So this time we got a rare behind‑the‑scenes look at foreign taxi drivers and their place in the industry. Sakai, thank you very much.”
  Sakai: “Thank you.”

  Exchange rate used: ¥1 ≈ $0.00655 (about ¥153 = $1) as of February 15, 2026.

  Reply
• February 16, 2026 at 8:41 pm

  JK says:

  Following up on my ‘cut-down’ cherry blossom festival post from February 7, 2026 at 10:50 pm, here’s a YouTube investigative report by TV Asahi NEWS:

  20万人来場「桜まつり」中止 “相次ぐ迷惑行為” 観光客のマナー問題の実態は？【スーパーJチャンネル】(2026年2月16日)

  Translation of the ASR (automatic speech recognition) text is courtesy of Claude Sonnet 4.5; human review for accuracy is courtesy of me. Lest Debito.org readers think all I do is ‘spam’ this site with AI-generated content, I offer my human-generated two-yen on this situation at the end for commentary.

  “Cherry Blossom Festival” Drawing 200,000 Visitors Canceled — “Repeated Disruptive Behavior” — What’s Really Going on With Tourist Manners? [Super J Channel] (February 16, 2026)

  A cherry blossom festival that has run for 10 years has been canceled this year. What’s behind the decision? Our investigation revealed disruptive behavior by tourists. Here, a tourist has entered the grounds of a private residence. They trespass on someone else’s property without permission to take photos. “Is it not okay to take pictures here?” What’s more, they’re stepping onto railroad tracks to snap photos.

  The site experiencing a wave of tourist misconduct is Arakurayama Sengen Park in Fujiyoshida City, Yamanashi Prefecture. “This is the entrance to Sengen Park, and you can see many tourists visiting here.” It’s a popular spot offering panoramic views of Mount Fuji and a five-story pagoda. Word has spread overseas through social media, drawing large numbers of international visitors. “I came to see Mount Fuji. The scenery was so beautiful.”

  In spring, the miraculous view of Mount Fuji, cherry blossoms, and the pagoda all together creates a stunning sight. The park has hosted a cherry blossom festival for about 10 years. More than 200,000 people visited each year, but the city has decided to cancel this year’s festival.

  Overtourism—a problem of tourist manners. When we investigated the scene, the reality became clear. Tourists are smoking in front of a shop’s warehouse—people who don’t follow smoking etiquette. They’re entering the railroad tracks to take photos—reckless behavior that ignores danger. And food and drink trash is scattered everywhere.

  The area around the park is a residential neighborhood. “There’s quite a bit of trash like cans left behind, or things left at people’s gates—that happens a lot. The trash is really bad. I clean up pretty frequently, but it just keeps piling up.” According to residents, many of those not following the rules are foreigners. “Sometimes fights break out, and local residents end up unable to leave their homes.”

  And here, tourists are taking photos on the grounds of a private home. Why are they trespassing without permission? When we asked: “It looked like a traditional Japanese place and was beautiful, so I took photos.” “You can’t take photos here on someone else’s property?” “I didn’t know that.”

  Now tourists have parked their car on someone’s property without permission. According to the man who warned them, the trespassers were a group of foreigners who said they thought it was a restaurant parking lot. And there are even more shocking incidents. “People using the bathroom in someone’s yard—it was truly unbelievable.”

  On the other hand, there are voices concerned about the festival’s cancellation. “Canceling it is sad, isn’t it? Yeah, it’s sad.” “Looking at the whole year, the cherry blossom festival in April is definitely our peak sales period, so I’m wondering what’s going to happen this year. But there’s also the issue that it causes trouble for residents.”

  The city plans to strengthen measures to ease congestion during cherry blossom season, including increasing the number of guides and running shuttle buses.

  I’m starting to think that ‘overtourism’ is what happens when infrastructure and cultural education fail to scale with NJ visitor numbers (due to viral social media posts) in places where tourist sites intersect with residential areas.

  Reply
• February 17, 2026 at 12:28 am

  JDG says:

  SPOILER ALERT!
  ‘AI could replace foreign workers in Japan’

  https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/02/17/japan/politics/team-mirai-immigration/

  PLOT TWIST!
  AI will replace hundreds of thousands of entry-level white collar jobs, forcing Japanese youth to work in combinis, farms, and elderly care homes so the NJ can be done away with.

  They can’t see that coming!🤣

  Personally, I think we’re in an AI stock market bubble and it’s gonna burst like the dotcom bubble. I’ve heard all the ‘but this technology is a paradigm shift’ excuses before.

  Reply
• February 20, 2026 at 7:26 am

  Niklas says:

  New snitch system deployed, now run by a prefecture (Ibaraki).

  https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/16368466

  “Eriko Suzuki, a professor at Kokushikan University specializing in immigration policy, called Ibaraki Prefecture’s measure “a form of official xenophobia” that risks attracting inaccurate information.”

  Correct.

  “While such a system is “understandable” when operated by the national immigration agency, which has investigative powers, Suzuki questioned if it should be the local government’s role”

  Wrong. It’s not “understandable”. Either get the police and immigration service to do their job in a fair system based on evidence and fair trials, or just stop accepting any immigration. Giving random citizens the power to report and deport any foreigner is exactly what nazi Germany did.

  Reply
• February 22, 2026 at 2:15 am

  JK says:

  Oh great, now Ibaraki prefecture is getting into the snitch site business (for reference, Dr. Debito blogged about the original one here):

  Ibaraki offers cash for tips on undocumented foreign workers

  MITO—Grappling with the highest illegal employment numbers in the nation, the Ibaraki prefectural government will offer a cash reward system for tips on undocumented foreign workers starting in fiscal 2026.
The program will solicit information about foreign nationals working without proper visas and offer rewards if a report leads to a police arrest.
The cost was included in the initial budget proposal for the new fiscal year, announced on Feb. 18.
While the national Immigration Services Agency has a similar tip-based reporting system, prefectural-level programs are rare, officials said.
"We must take drastic measures to solve this problem," Ibaraki Governor Kazuhiko Oigawa said at a news conference.
Addressing concerns the policy could encourage snitching or lead to human rights violations, the governor said, "We will absolutely not allow this to become a reckless situation that makes even diligent foreign workers feel uneasy.”
HIGHEST RATE IN JAPAN
The move comes as Ibaraki prefectural officials seek to address the high number of foreigners working illegally, particularly in their agricultural sector.
According to the Immigration Services Agency, of the slightly more than 14,000 foreigners identified as working illegally nationwide in 2024, 3,452 were in Ibaraki Prefecture—the highest number of any prefecture for the third consecutive year.
Previously, prefectural staff focused on campaigns urging employers not to hire undocumented workers.
The new online system is designed to strengthen information-gathering alongside industry groups and municipalities.
Under the system, prefectural staff will investigate tips and contact police if illegal employment is suspected.
The reward is expected to be several tens of thousands of yen.
"We will work out the details of the system in a way that is considerate of human rights," said an official from the office for promotion of appropriate employment of foreign nationals.
The official added that the prefecture expects more information to be provided about businesses illegally employing foreign nationals than foreign nationals working illegally.
CRITICS VOICE FEARS
A similar national system has existed since 1951, offering up to 50,000 yen ($320) if a tip leads to a deportation order.
However, according to the Immigration Services Agency, no rewards were paid out between 2021 and 2025.
The Ibaraki prefectural announcement has drawn criticism from Jiho Yoshimizu, head of Nichietsu Tomoiki Shienkai, a Tokyo-based nonprofit organization that supports Vietnamese in Japan.
Yoshimizu said many foreigners his group supports have lost their place to live after being fired from their trainee placements or fleeing abusive workplaces. Unable to afford a flight home, they have ended up overstaying their visas, he said.
Yoshimizu argued that the reward system will make it harder for such foreigners to seek help for fear of being reported, potentially pushing them toward commiting other crimes.
"The number of foreigners who choose to hide rather than seek help may increase," he said. "Creating a safe environment for them to solicit advice early is more important than a mechanism to increase reports."
Eriko Suzuki, a professor at Kokushikan University specializing in immigration policy, called Ibaraki Prefecture's measure "a form of official xenophobia" that risks attracting inaccurate information.
While such a system is "understandable" when operated by the national immigration agency, which has investigative powers, Suzuki questioned if it should be the local government's role.
A municipality's primary duty, she noted, is to provide services to residents, not to identify foreign nationals working illegally.
(This article was written by Morio Choh, Tomonori Asada and Chika Yamamoto.)

  Reply
  • February 28, 2026 at 9:23 pm

    JK says:

    Here’s your chance to let Ibaraki prefecture know what you think about their proposed snitch site!:

    茨城県不法就労活動の防止に関する条例（案）に関する意見を募集します

    GPT-5.2 Thinking is handling the translation duties below with human supervision:

    We are seeking public comments on the Ordinance (Draft) on Preventing Illegal Employment Activities in Ibaraki Prefecture.

    1. Materials to be released
    Ordinance (Draft) on Preventing Illegal Employment Activities in Ibaraki Prefecture (PDF: 65KB)

    2. Comment period
    Tuesday, February 24, 2026 – Wednesday, March 25, 2026
    ※ If submitted by mail, submissions postmarked on March 25, 2026 will be accepted.

    3. How to submit comments

    (1) Format
    There is no required format. Clearly write “Comments on the Ordinance (Draft) on Preventing Illegal Employment Activities in Ibaraki Prefecture” as the subject/title, and include your address, name (or organization name), and phone number.

    (2) Submission methods
    Submit by mail, fax, email, or the Ibaraki Electronic Application/Notification Service.

    (3) Where to send comments

    a. By mail (※ Postmark valid as of March 25, 2026)
    Labor Policy Division, Industrial Strategy Department, Ibaraki Prefectural Government
    978-6 Kasaharachō, Mito, Ibaraki 310-8555, Japan

    b. By fax (※ Must arrive by March 25, 2026)
    Fax: 029-301-3649
    Labor Policy Division, Industrial Strategy Department, Ibaraki Prefectural Government

    c. By email (※ Must arrive by March 25, 2026)
    E-mail: rousei8@pref.ibaraki.lg.jp
    Labor Policy Division, Industrial Strategy Department, Ibaraki Prefectural Government
    ※ In the subject line, write: “Comments on the Ordinance (Draft) on Preventing Illegal Employment Activities in Ibaraki Prefecture.”

    d. Via the Ibaraki Electronic Application/Notification Service (※ Deadline: 5:00 p.m., March 25, 2026)
    ※ Access the URL below and enter the required information.
    https://apply.e-tumo.jp/pref-ibaraki-u/offer/offerList_detail?tempSeq=84479

    4. Notes

    (1) Comments are not accepted by phone.
    (2) Please understand that we are unable to provide individual responses to comments.
    (3) Comments must be submitted in Japanese.
    (4) Submissions will be treated as invalid if they do not arrive within the comment period, are not submitted using one of the methods above, or include any of the following:
    a. Content that defames or slanders an individual or a specific organization
    b. Content that infringes on the privacy of an individual or a specific organization
    c. Content that infringes on the copyright of an individual or a specific organization
    d. Content that violates laws or regulations, involves conduct contrary to public order and morals, or is connected to criminal activity
    e. Content intended for profit, such as business solicitations

    5. Handling of comments
    The comments received will be compiled by this division and published together with the prefecture’s views on them, and they will also be used as reference in preparing the final draft.

    Note that personal/corporate information—such as the address, name (organization name), and phone number of those who submit comments—will not be published.

    6. Contact information
    Foreign Nationals’ Proper Employment Promotion Office, Labor Policy Division, Industrial Strategy Department, Ibaraki Prefectural Government
    978-6 Kasaharachō, Mito, Ibaraki 310-8555, Japan
    Phone: 029-301-3849
    Fax: 029-301-3649
    E-mail: rousei8@pref.ibaraki.lg.jp

    Inquiries about this page
    Foreign Nationals’ Proper Employment Promotion Office, Labor Policy Division, Industrial Strategy Department
    978-6 Kasaharachō, Mito, Ibaraki
    Phone: 029-301-3849
    Fax: 029-301-3649

    Reply
• February 28, 2026 at 8:42 pm

  JK says:

  So much for ‘foreign crime’ and its impact on public safety!:

  Xenophobic posts on social media have claimed that Japan’s growing foreign population is worsening public safety. But with foreign residents nearly doubling from 2.01 million to 3.95 million over the past two decades, the proportion involved in crime has declined.

  “Although the number of foreign nationals entering Japan is increasing, there is no clear impact on the deterioration of public safety. We will continue necessary enforcement regardless of nationality,” a senior National Police Agency official said.

  Number of foreigners detained in Japan down 40% from 20 yrs ago

  
TOKYO - The number of foreigners detained in Japan in the five years through 2025 fell 40 percent from the peak recorded 20 years earlier, an analysis of police data showed Saturday, with the decline coming despite a nearly two-fold increase in foreign residents over the same period.

  A total of 56,706 foreign nationals were processed by police between 2021 to 2025, a sharp drop from the 93,899 recorded between 2001 to 2005, according to crime statistics from the National Police Agency. The number fell by half in 14 of Japan's 47 prefectures.

  Xenophobic posts on social media have claimed that Japan's growing foreign population is worsening public safety. But with foreign residents nearly doubling from 2.01 million to 3.95 million over the past two decades, the proportion involved in crime has declined.

  Enforcement cases involving foreign nationals, excluding permanent residents and U.S. military personnel, fell in 40 prefectures between the two five-year periods.

  Nagano Prefecture saw the largest drop at 73.2 percent from 1,679 to 450. Tokushima, Ehime, Wakayama, and Fukushima prefectures also recorded steep declines. By absolute numbers, Tokyo saw a decrease of 22,344 cases, Kanagawa 3,358, and Shizuoka 2,241.

  "Although the number of foreign nationals entering Japan is increasing, there is no clear impact on the deterioration of public safety. We will continue necessary enforcement regardless of nationality," a senior National Police Agency official said.

  In terms of single year data, the nationwide number of detentions in 2025 rose by 5 percent from the previous year to 12,777, marking the third consecutive year of increase.

  The climb reflects a rebound from the low crime levels during the COVID-19 pandemic, but is still proportionally lower than the roughly 300,000 person growth in foreign residents annually.

  Including Japanese nationals, the total number of people detained for Penal Code offenses topped 600,000 per year in the early 1950s but fell to the 300,000 range in the early 2000s.

  The figure has remained around 200,000 in recent years as community patrols, increased security cameras and crackdowns on organized crime have proven effective.


  Reply
• February 28, 2026 at 9:00 pm

  JK says:

  So much for ‘overtourism’ — in its pursuit for more yen, the J-Gov is adding to ‘social friction’ with one hand while removing bureaucratic friction with the other!:

  The Japanese Embassy in Russia recently opened one visa application center each in Moscow and St. Petersburg to cope with the rapidly increasing number of people traveling to Japan from Russia.

  In contrast [to major European nations], the Japanese Embassy does not charge Russian applicants handling fees and issues visas as quickly as in four days.

  New Japanese visa centers open in Russia to meet high travel demand

  
MOSCOW - The Japanese Embassy in Russia recently opened one visa application center each in Moscow and St. Petersburg to cope with the rapidly increasing number of people traveling to Japan from Russia.

  Last year's aggregate arrivals nearly doubled from 2024 to a record high of 194,900, according to Japan National Tourism Organization data. The sharp rise was believed to be driven by the ease of obtaining visas and affordability due to the weak yen.

  The new visa centers are aimed at alleviating the long daily queues at the embassy in Moscow and the consulate general in St. Petersburg.

  After Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, major European nations more than doubled visa application fees for Russians and implemented stricter procedures.

  In contrast, the Japanese Embassy does not charge Russian applicants handling fees and issues visas as quickly as in four days.

  Applicants need to pay service fees of 970 rubles ($12.6) at the new visa centers, the embassy said, with more than 100 reservations received on the opening day in Moscow.

  "Japan-Russia relations are complicated, but the increase in Russian visitors to Japan will lay the foundation for our future ties," Daiji Yamaguchi, minister at the embassy, said at the Moscow visa center opening ceremony on Feb. 12.

  Among the applicants, Ulyana, a self-employed 24-year-old who did not give her last name, is considering visiting Japan in March.

  "In the past, my friend had to wait for over an hour outside in temperatures of minus 20 C," she said. "(Here) I didn't have to stand in line at all, and everything was done in 30 minutes."


  Reply
• February 28, 2026 at 9:59 pm

  JK says:

  It’s time for another news article about two-tiered pricing. This time though, it’s not a mom-and-pop restaurant owner trying to gouge NJ tourists, but rather the mayor of Kyoto city!:

  Kyoto mayor announces plan for Japan’s 1st dual bus fares with citizen discount / 京都市長が市バスの市民優先価格を公表　実現で全国初の「二重運賃」

  Here’s the surprising bit: he first has to get permission from the J-Gov in Tokyo. Why? Because “the Road Transportation Act prohibits unjust discriminatory treatment in fares for specific travelers, and officials have been in consultation with the transport ministry, which demands that a “reasonable reason” be presented for the change.”

  Let this sink in for a minute: there’s *actually* a law on the books in Japan prohibiting NJ from a form of discrimination (price of transportation), yet the profit motive to discriminate is so great that the mayor of a world-renound Japanese city is actively working to undermine this protection in the name of ‘overtourism’!

  KYOTO -- The mayor of this ancient Japanese capital has announced a plan to introduce a dual bus fare system by lowering the fare for locals and collecting more from nonresidents as part of measures against overtourism. If implemented, this will be Japan's first dual fare system.
Kyoto Mayor Koji Matsui on Feb. 25 revealed a proposal to lower the current flat rate of 230 yen (about $1.50) within the city to 200 yen (roughly $1.30) for Kyoto citizens, and have noncitizens pay more, thereby redistributing the benefits of hosting a large number of tourists to residents.
The city aims to seek approval from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism and implement the system in fiscal 2027.
With a population of 1.43 million, Kyoto received 56.06 million tourists in 2024, including a record 10.88 million foreign visitors. Bus congestion and delays have become symbols of overtourism.
Mayor Matsui, who was first elected in February 2024, pledged to set different fares for city buses and other services between citizens and noncitizens. However, the Road Transportation Act prohibits unjust discriminatory treatment in fares for specific travelers, and officials have been in consultation with the transport ministry, which demands that a "reasonable reason" be presented for the change.
During the Feb. 25 municipal assembly meeting, Matsui stated that discussions with the ministry and private operators were underway, adding, "Due to overtourism measures and rising costs, fares are expected to be 350 to 400 yen (around $2.30 to $2.60), but we want to offer discounts to citizens."
In a city survey in 2024, 79.9% of respondents reported being inconvenienced by public transportation congestion and tourists' poor manners. The city government prioritizes "harmonizing citizen life with tourism" as a key issue. Additionally, Kyoto is increasing its accommodation tax rate starting March 1 to boost tax revenue while also strengthening regulations on private lodgings.

  — Your recent posts offering overall summary/commentary as well as translation make reading much easier. Thanks for doing that. (Now could you just add a full cite for the article, not just the embedded link? Sorry to nit-pick, but that would complete the process. Thanks.)

  Reply