Shinya Sato
Self-employed, 28
I think there should be more free Japanese lessons that are better advertised and easier for foreigners to find. The government should also publish some kind of booklet or brochure with useful every day information.
Philip Deane
Program director, 46
One big issue is the pension system. It's very unclear what the pension rights are here. If you haven't been at home paying there, you fall out of that loop, so the one area I'm having difficulty in is securing a pension.
Ling Chan
Engineer, 28
When I walk around the city, police officers often stop me. They're just picking on me because I'm a foreigner. I'm just walking around, wanting to see something new and they assume I'm doing something bad.
Misako Tanabe
Housewife, 32
When I'm at the park with my children, foreign families seem segregated. I think the government should organize meetings or parties for newcomers from different countries to introduce them to other members of the community.
Laura Nowicki
Mother, 43
Making it easier to get a driver's license would be a big help. Also, some of the foreign advisory services within the ward offices should have some English-speaking staff. They have a foreign desk, but nobody speaks English.
Shardul Wartikar
Media consultant, 31
The biggest issue is most Japanese think that foreigners are very different, often in the workplace, for example. The government could start educating Japanese people that we're not really different from them.
