Conservative parties push for capping of foreign resident population

JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS

Conservative parties push for capping of foreign resident population

Sanseito, a party led by Sohei Kamiya (second from right), opposes the long-term settlement of foreign nationals but supports the use of short-term foreign labor. | Bloomberg

By Himari Semans
STAFF WRITER

Feb 5, 2026

Whether or not Japan should cap the number of foreign residents has become one of the talking points in Sunday’s Lower House election, with the ruling Japan Innovation Party (JIP) and the opposition Sanseito and the Conservative Party of Japan (CPJ) taking a hard-line stance, while other parties focus on alternative regulations.

The JIP’s election manifesto pledges to formulate a population strategy in fiscal 2026 to regulate the number of foreign residents, including through numerical caps. The pledge is also included in the JIP’s coalition agreement with the Liberal Democratic Party.

The government is currently running simulations to determine an appropriate cap on the number of foreign residents, JIP co-leader Fumitake Fujita said in on Monday.