immigration

RACE IN JAPAN

A Nepali Combini Clerk Foiled a Scam in Japan, Even as Politicians Cast Foreigners as Threat

A 24-year-old Nepali convenience-store clerk in Kobe sensed an elderly customer was being scammed and stepped in.

SOCIETY

Is Japan REALLY Trying to Ban Saying “Itadakimasu” at Schools?

Japan's "War on Christmas" is a viral online claim framed as an attack on Japanese culture. Just one problem: it isn't true.

CULTURE

Muslim Burial in Japan: Government Surveys Cities as Tensions Rise

Plans for Muslim burial grounds in Japan face local resistance and racist threats as the country's Muslim population doubles.

SOCIETY

Japan’s New Visa Rules Are Forcing Tokyo’s Immigrant-Run Restaurants to Close

The new capital requirement for the business manager visa is too high a hurdle for many legitimate, profitable, and law-abiding businesses.

INSIDER

[Insider] Shibuya, Burning: How Japan’s Right Exploits the Information Void to Foster Hate

A Japanese nationalist started a fire in Shibuya Crossing and then fled the scene. Japan's right wing blamed the attack on...foreigners?

JAPANESE LANGUAGE

MEXT to Nothing: Japan Struggles to Help Foreign Residents Learning Japanese

Many foreign residents in Japan want to learn Japanese. But reports show a majority feel they're not getting the support they need…

LIVING IN JAPAN

Immigrant Crime in Japan Is Dropping as Anti-Immigrant Rhetoric Soars

Right-wingers in Japan claim that the country is becoming more unsafe due to immigrants. The data doesn't back that up.

LIVING IN JAPAN

Japan to Expand Entry Screening and Raise Visa Fees

Traveling and moving to Japan is about to get a lot more expensive, thanks to a proposed set of fee hikes.