One night in December, Justice Minister Daizo Nozawa and Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara got together to "inspect" the Kabukicho entertainment district in Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo, as dozens of government officials, reporters and spectators dogged their steps.
The pair were underscoring their determination to halve the number of people living or working in Tokyo without visas over the next five years.
"While foreigners are not the only factor behind the deterioration in Tokyo's security, they have introduced new kinds of crimes (to Japan)," Ishihara told reporters after making the rounds, citing the murder of a family of four in Fukuoka, allegedly by three Chinese former students.