Despite the growing influx of foreign workers and residents in Japan, their perspectives have been largely ignored ahead of Sunday's Lower House election, according to the director of a nonprofit organization that supports immigrant children and youths in the country.
Iki Tanaka, whose youth support center has helped some 600 children and adults from 26 regions learn Japanese, says more must be done to help new arrivals integrate.
"I am afraid about the situation that while the number of foreign residents keeps rising, Japanese society remains unprepared to accept them. Confusion will occur if unique issues and challenges faced by foreigners are left unaddressed," Tanaka said.