Opposition to accepting more foreign residents in Japan surged to 56.3 percent in a recent University of Tokyo panel study, marking a 20.7 percentage point increase from 2024. Researchers attribute the shift to rising societal anxiety and increased exposure to negative public discussions regarding immigration.
Shifting Sentiment Across Generations in Japan
Public opinion regarding immigration in Japan is undergoing a stark transformation. According to survey results released by the University of Tokyo’s Institute of Social Science, the proportion of respondents opposing the acceptance of more foreign nationals climbed to 56.3 percent this year, up dramatically from previous tracking figures.
Here is why that matters: the panel study asks the same selected individuals periodically about changes to their lifestyles, gathering valid responses from approximately 3,800 people this year. Questions regarding foreign residents are embedded in the survey roughly once every two years, providing a reliable longitudinal look at how attitudes evolve within the country.
Conversely, public support for welcoming additional foreign workers and residents plummeted. Only 9.4 percent of respondents expressed favorability toward accepting more foreigners, representing an 8.4 percentage point drop compared to 2024 data.
The Demographic Fault Lines of Rising Skepticism
This hardening stance is not distributed evenly across Japanese demographics. The data reveals that the upswing in opposition is particularly pronounced among younger cohorts.
When researchers analyzed birth cohorts, the shifts became even clearer. Among individuals born between 1966 and 1976, opposition rose by 19.4 points. Yet, among younger respondents born between 1987 and 1998, the increase was even sharper, jumping by 24.3 points.
Professor Shin Arita of the University of Tokyo’s Institute of Social Science shed light on the psychological underpinnings of this trend.
“Opposition may have grown as there has been more exposure to negative discussions about accepting foreign nationals, fueled by anxiety and dissatisfaction with society,”
said Professor Arita, pointing to broader cultural and economic unease.
| Metric | 2024 Survey | This Year’s Survey | Net Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Opposed to More Foreign Residents | – | 56.3% | +20.7 pts |
| In Favor of More Foreign Residents | – | 9.4% | -8.4 pts |
| Valid Survey Responses | – | ~3,800 | – |
Pessimism and the Shift Toward Opposition
The study also uncovered a correlation between domestic pessimism and hardening attitudes toward immigration. Respondents who indicated that “there is no hope for Japanese society” proved significantly more inclined to oppose higher numbers of foreign residents.
Digging deeper into the transitional data, researchers found that respondents who initially held neutral or welcoming views toward foreign residents in 2024 often flipped their stances. Individuals who answered negatively to statements such as “there is hope in Japanese society” and “life has improved compared to our parents’ generation” routinely shifted their positions toward outright opposition.
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