TAKAYAMA: Japan is facing a labor shortage and falling population. What should the country do? ISHIHARA: I have said time and again that Japan needs an immigration policy. We are entering a new era, in which Japan must take a definite stance toward immigration in order to maintain the labor force. It is no good bringing in foreigners just to let them do three K jobs [kitsui, hard; kitanai, dirty; kiken, dangerous]. We need them to blend into Japan, work and possibly to marry here and settle. We are facing a serious shortage of nurses to care for the elderly. If we properly systematize the policy, we can curb the activities of snakehead gangs, which smuggle workers into Japan. I sometimes go to the island of Hachijojima, where there is a sushi shop run by a skilled fisherman. His son had trouble finding a bride but then he married a Filipino and they had a baby. Now even the grandma, who at first disapproved, is all smiles. I think that’s a good way for foreigners to put down roots in Japan.
How about workers who already live in Japan illegally? I would like foreigners to come to Japan with their papers in order and work properly, not dream of making a fortune at one stroke. The first thing we have to consider is how to deal with workers who live here and have become accustomed to life in Japan. Obviously, we should give them priority to stay, setting qualifications and standards. We should give them special resident permits. We have to adopt policies whereby they will be accepted into Japan. At a time like this, when the country is facing a serious decline in the work force, it’s time for politicians to speak about the issue.
Would you favor amnesty for illegal immigrants? I think it’s one of the measures we could look into and study.
How about voting rights for Koreans in Japan? That’s a difficult question. When it comes to the third- and fourth-generation Koreans, they are mentally Japanese, though their nationality is different. The ideal thing is for them to become naturalized Japanese, but [that idea clashes] with their pride. Although there are people who say that Korean residents should be given suffrage in local elections, it raises problems. With issues such as nuclear power plants, even a mayor’s election could bear upon national policy. It is a tough issue that calls into question the meaning of nationality.
Why does everything you say cause an uproar? I speak about subjects that I am interested in, using my own judgment. Japanese politicians are so stereotyped, aren’t they? There are interesting people among them, but most Japanese feel more comfortable being stereotypes, when everyone has the same face, or no face at all. The Japanese don’t say what’s on their minds, they don’t even make their own statements clear. Personally, I don’t find Japanese people very interesting.
