Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara has softened his stance on immigrants, saying Japan must open its doors to foreigners to counter a growing labor shortage, according to the latest issue of Newsweek, which hit newsstands Monday.
He also said that amnesty for illegal immigrants in Japan should be considered.
"I have said time and again that Japan needs an immigration policy (to cope with a labor shortage)," the novelist-turned-politician said in an interview carried in the weekly.
"We are entering a new era, in which Japan must take a definite stance toward immigration in order to maintain the labor force," he said.