According to Chief Cabinet secretary Shinzo Abe, the Japanese government will devise a set of measures designed to improve the living conditions of foreign residents in Japan. A panel made up of senior government officials from various ministries and agencies was formed to look into problems being experienced by foreign residents and workers, such as financial and language problems and handicaps that their children face. The panel will also assess how well they have been accepted in the local communities.
According to government figures, the number of foreign students in Japan passed the 100,000th mark in 2004 when it totaled 117,000. Of this number only 5,264 switched from student visa to working visa in the same year. This suggests that although Japan is open to foreign students, its restrictive immigration and refugee policies allow only a few foreigners with special skills to stay and work in Japan
The Supreme Court has ruled recently that Chung Hyang Gyun, 55, the daughter of a Japanese woman and a South Korean man, and who was born and raised in Japan, was not eligible to take a qualifying exam for a supervisory position at a public health center because she is considered a foreigner. The reaction to the High Court’s ruling was split along party lines. On the one hand, Liberals felt Chung should have been allowed to take the test because she could hardly be considered a foreigner; on the other hand, Conservatives felt that Chung should first become a Japanese citizen. This was not an option for Chung whose father, Chung Yeon Gyu, was a Korean nationalist who opposed Japanese colonial rule.
Sources: Toshio Katayama, “Foreign students’ goal of career proves elusive," The Japan Times, 7 April 2006; Norimitsu Onishi, “Japan-born Koreans live in Limbo," The Seoul Times, 14 April 2006; Kyodo, “Gov’t promises to improve livelihood of foreign residents," Japan Today, 14 April 2006