We live in interesting times. With the shortage and high cost of domestic labor, the Japanese government has brought over record numbers of cheap foreign workers. Even though whole industrial sectors now depend on foreign labor, few publicly accept the symbiosis as permanent. Instead, foreigners are being blamed for Japan's problems.
Scapegoating the alien happens worldwide, but Japan's version is particularly amusing. It's not just the garden-variety focus on crime anymore: Non-Japanese are being blamed for problems in sports, education — even shipping. Less amusing is how authorities are tackling these "problems" — by thwarting any chances of assimilation.
Japan has brought over a million foreigners for "training." However, these government-sponsored programs have been so badly managed, creating harsh conditions exempt from Japan's labor laws, that Kyodo (July 2) reported that nearly 10,000 non-Japanese "disappeared" from workplaces between 2002 and 2006.