About three quarters of economists say an increase in foreign residents in Japan is beneficial for Japanese citizens overall, according to a joint survey by the Japan Center for Economic Research (JCER) and the Nikkei daily.
The survey of around 50 prominent Japanese economists was carried out between July 18 and July 28, and released on July 30. Policies relating to foreign residents emerged as a key issue ahead of the recent Upper House election, held July 20.
“By creating an environment where they can overcome differences in language, culture and customs, and demonstrate their abilities — such as improving education for foreign exchange students — foreign workers will contribute to alleviating the labor shortage and improve productivity. And, as a result, it will lead to an improvement in the standard of living of Japanese people,” said Makoto Hasegawa, an associate professor at Kyoto University who was one of the respondents.
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