Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi pledged in her policy speech on Friday to deal firmly with foreigners who violate the rules, emphasizing the need to distinguish such measures from xenophobia, though details and methods remain unclear.

As Japan increasingly relies on foreign workers to offset its shrinking labor force, attention is turning to whether her government will introduce a"total cap" on the number of foreign residents, a policy advocated by her party's coalition partner.

Takaichi, a staunch conservative who has criticized foreign tourists for"kicking deer" in Japan without citing specific evidence, became the nation's first female prime minister on Tuesday. She heads the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.

According to the Immigration Services Agency, the number of foreign residents in Japan stood at a record 3.96 million as of late June, up by about 180,000 from the end of the previous year.

Foreign residents now make up 3.2 percent of Japan's population, up sharply from about 1.29 million, or 1.03 percent, three decades ago, underscoring the rapid growth of the non-Japanese community in a country long known for its homogeneity.

The coalition agreement between the LDP and its partner, the Japan Innovation Party, calls for drafting a"population strategy" by fiscal 2026 that will set numerical goals for foreign acceptance, potentially shaping the scope of future immigration policy.

Under the current system, only a limited number of residence statuses have numerical caps, leaving a wide range of issues to be discussed, including how regulations should be structured and how maximum quotas should be determined.

Japan's labor shortage has deepened, threatening to weigh on economic growth. Many in the business community continue to call for greater acceptance of foreign workers to sustain production and ease the workforce gap.

A Tokyo-based food manufacturer said Japan's system may need to change to avoid confusion seen in Europe's migration policies, but added,"Without foreign workers, production would be difficult," underscoring the industry's reliance on overseas labor.

Policies toward foreigners have recently become a central political issue in Japan, with minor conservative opposition groups such as the right-wing Sanseito party gaining traction amid waning support for the long-dominant LDP-led government.

Sanseito has championed stricter controls on foreign residents under its"Japanese First" banner, bringing the issue to the forefront of political debate during the official campaign for the July 20 House of Councillors election.

© KYODO