Is Japan losing its compassion as anti-foreigner sentiments grow?

Manish Kumar, an Indian man who has lived in Japan for 30 years and runs a curry house, faces deportation after immigration authorities declined to renew his Business Manager visa. The decision, attributed to tightened guidelines enacted in October 2025, has left Kumar, 54, feeling unjustly treated. "My children speak only Japanese and have only Japanese friends. I’ve made an honest living and bought a house. But the authorities are telling me to go back to India. How is this humane?" he pleaded at a rally protesting the new regulations.

Critics contend that the revised visa rules, which dramatically increased the minimum capital investment from five million yen to 30 million yen (approximately S$240,900), will effectively end the viability of ethnic mom-and-pop restaurants and other small businesses run by foreigners. Reports indicate that restaurateurs from various Asian countries, including India, Nepal, Vietnam, Thailand, Hong Kong, and South Korea, are either closing their businesses or planning to do so. While a three-year grace period exists for visa renewals based on compliance plans, the new financial threshold remains prohibitive for many.

Ironically, Kumar's situation has ignited anti-foreigner sentiment, with some commentators exploiting the presence of left-wing activists at his protest. Accusations range from tax evasion to dodging pension and health insurance payments, despite his long residency. Others rigidly adhere to the legalistic argument that failure to meet new laws forfeits the right to reside in the country.

This friction underscores a deeper, systemic insularity within Japan, a nation historically viewing itself as homogeneous. With only 19 percent of its population holding passports, limited international travel means less direct exposure to diverse cultures. This insularity is increasingly strained by unprecedented overtourism and a record 4.1 million foreign residents as of 2025, representing about 3.35 percent of the population.

The author, reflecting on their own experience growing up in Singapore, notes how easily multiculturalism can be taken for granted. While Singapore also navigates discussions about foreign workers, the author feels fortunate to have avoided overt discrimination in Japan, partly attributing it to being a Japanese-speaking Singaporean Chinese, which facilitates assimilation. The article suggests a clear shift in sentiment against foreigners is occurring.

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My children speak only Japanese and have only Japanese friends. I’ve made an honest living and bought a house. But the authorities are telling me to go back to India. How is this humane?