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🇸🇬 Singapore /Culture & Society

Curry shops caught in Japan's immigration crackdown

From The Straits Times · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • A Sri Lankan restaurateur in rural Japan was forced to close his curry shop due to new visa rules tightening immigration.
  • The stricter requirements for business manager visas, including a significant increase in required capital, have impacted many foreign-owned small businesses.
  • Critics argue the new rules, driven by nationalist sentiment, will make it harder for Japanese people to experience diverse food cultures and could exacerbate labor shortages.

In the rural Japanese town of Shimotsuke, Mahendra Dharmapriya, a restaurateur from Sri Lanka, recently served his last meal at Daiya Ceylon, his beloved curry shop. After three years of filling the neighborhood with the aromas of his homeland, Dharmapriya was forced to close the restaurant because he could not meet Japan's newly implemented visa regulations, designed to curb the flow of foreigners into the country. He planned to return to Sri Lanka this week, expressing feelings of loneliness and a lack of hope for the future.

I felt so alone.

— Mahendra DharmapriyaThe Sri Lankan restaurateur described his feelings after being forced to close his business in rural Japan due to new visa regulations.

Dharmapriya, who moved to Japan in 2015, is one of approximately 47,000 foreigners living in Japan on so-called business manager visas who are now under scrutiny. The government, under Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, has tightened these visa rules as part of a broader effort to regulate immigration. The requirements for obtaining a business manager visa have dramatically increased, now demanding applicants possess US$188,000 in capital, up from US$31,000 previously, and employ at least one full-time staff member.

I have no hope for the future right now.

— Mahendra DharmapriyaThe Sri Lankan restaurateur expressed his despair over the impact of Japan's immigration crackdown on his business.

This policy shift has left many foreign restaurant owners in a precarious position. For decades, individuals from countries like India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, China, and Vietnam have used these visas to establish small eateries across Japan, introducing diverse culinary traditions. Chan Ka Yee, who managed a Hong Kong-style congee chain in Tokyo, also closed her restaurant in May after five years, unable to meet the new financial and employment criteria. She plans to return to Hong Kong this summer, expressing deep sadness over the closure.

Now it will become impossible for Japanese people to discover new flavors and food cultures.

— Chie TaniguchiA regular customer at a now-closed Hong Kong-style congee restaurant in Tokyo, commenting on the new visa requirements.

Regular customers lamented the loss of these establishments. Chie Taniguchi, a patron of Ms. Chan's restaurant, criticized the new visa requirements as "sloppy politics," arguing that they will limit Japanese people's exposure to new flavors and food cultures. The crackdown reflects a wave of nationalist sentiment in Japan, with some activists advocating for stricter controls. While some experts argue that Japan needs more immigrants to address its declining population and labor shortages, the government's current policies appear to prioritize restriction.

I can’t believe it’s over.

— Chan Ka YeeThe manager of a Hong Kong-style congee chain in Tokyo expressed her sadness after closing her restaurant due to visa rule changes.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by The Straits Times in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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