Foreign employees have become much more visible in Japan. But policies designed only for short-term stays may hurt the country in the global competition for labor.
No, they’re nothing like America. 97.8% of the population of Japan is considered Japanese, with the remaining 2.2% being foreign nationals. Since the end of World War 2, the Japanese government has had a policy of “monoculturism” whereby all citizens are considered to have a single Japanese identity and minority identities are discouraged: one language, one ethnic group, one dynasty.
It wasn’t until 2008 that a prime minister (Fukuda Yasuo) publicly acknowledged the distinct identity of the ethnic minority Ainu people. However, there does not seem to be much movement since then.
No, they’re nothing like America. 97.8% of the population of Japan is considered Japanese, with the remaining 2.2% being foreign nationals. Since the end of World War 2, the Japanese government has had a policy of “monoculturism” whereby all citizens are considered to have a single Japanese identity and minority identities are discouraged: one language, one ethnic group, one dynasty.
It wasn’t until 2008 that a prime minister (Fukuda Yasuo) publicly acknowledged the distinct identity of the ethnic minority Ainu people. However, there does not seem to be much movement since then.