Each week, here at Osaka.com, we bring you a selection of some of the top stories about Osaka making the local and national news here in Japan. Sometimes it’s serious, sometimes it’s funny, but it’s always direct to you, from Osaka.
Osaka Foreign Residents Decry “Blatant Discrimination” of Immigration Rule Changes
Immigration is, and has been for many years now, a hot button topic across much of the developed world. Until recently however, Japan struck a fine balance. Anti-immigrant rhetoric was not a prominent feature mainstream politics, despite Japan having one of the strictest sets of immigration criteria in the world.
Osaka has long housed a huge immigrant community. Most of them hail from Japan’s near neighbors China and Korea.
Relations between the three countries have been strained in various ways for decades. All sides have, at times, sought to agitate the more nationalistic elements of their respective citizens when it was politically expedient to do so.
However, the eyes of many of Osaka’s foreign residents, both young and old, a line has now been crossed.
Government plans, currently moving through parliament, would see the current fees for visa renewal multiplied by about 10 times, with permanent residency looking at a 20-fold hike in price. Such immigration fees are not optional, and failure to renew results in swift deportation.
Many foreign residents in Osaka, particular those from other Asian countries work in lower paying jobs such as factory work, industrial laboring and so on.
They worry they simply will not be able to pay the proposed new fee of around 80,000 yen to renew their visas. The current fees range from 6,000 to 8,000 yen depending on the visa type and length of renewal. A hike to 70-80,000 seems excessive in the extreme to many.
Immigration Fee Hikes “Cannot be Justified”
In the Japanese government’s defense, and this is a position supported by both Osaka’s governor and the current mayor, they say the extra fees generated will be used to “ensure foreign residents can live harmoniously with Japanese people.”
The Osaka residents we spoke to this week responded by saying: “erm, most of us have already been doing that for years, and paying plenty of tax into the Japanese pension system all the while.”
One resident, a native of Korea who has lived in Osaka’s Ikuno Ward for around 10 years, had this to say.
“It’s pandering. That’s all it is. This isn’t about money, this isn’t about harmonious society.
“It’s about the government inventing a problem that doesn’t exist, to distract from decades of economic stagnation and the ever declining birth-rate.”
Harsh words, but of course, not everyone sees it that way.
One Japanese resident of Minato Ward, a strong supporter of the changes to immigration rules, had their own ideas.
They said: “It’s still cheaper than it would cost if I wanted to move to the US or the UK. This is just Japan bringing its visa fees in line with the rest of the world.”
It is true that both the US and the UK charge far more than 70-80,000 yen for those seeking residence. However, both countries also pay significantly higher median wages than Japan.
Some still hope that the more moderate voices will prevail and a nominal increase, perhaps around 50-60%, may be the eventual outcome.
It is undeniable that Japan’s visas are cheaper than most other developed economies. However, for a country with such major labor shortages and an ageing population, the wisdom of this new policy remains in question.
Osaka Hotels and Transport Packed Out Despite Immigration Atmosphere
Whilst the environment does seem to be getting more hostile for foreign people living in Japan, tourists remain undettered.
Hotels across Osaka were packed earlier this week, as the combination of the Japanese “Golden Week” holiday and China’s 5-day “Labor Day” holiday saw a huge influx of both foreign and domestic visitors to the city.
As usual, shopping and fine dining seemed to be top of the list for most. The likes of Shinsaibashi, Namba and Umeda were packed throughout the holidays which ran until the middle of this past week.
Despite an ongoing diplomatic feud, and official “warnings” from their government not to visit. Many Chinese tourists seemed as eager as ever to enjoy the Osaka atmosphere.
Golden Week also seems to be the prelude to an early Osaka summer, with temperatures staying in the high 20s for most of the week.
And Finally…
If you’re a sports fan, you’ve probably found yourself screaming at the match officials at some point. I certainly am guilty of doing so whenever my beloved Celtic FC have what looks like a perfectly good goal ruled out for some minor infraction.
Well, one former baseball umpire from Osaka has decided enough is enough. He announced this week that he has built his own robot umpire to adjudicate
Retired former amateur baseball umpire, Takashi Yoshida, unveiled the latest iteration of this robot umpire this week.
During tests in November last year, the first edition of the unit had an accuracy rate of around 60%. This rate has now climbed above 90%. Yoshida claims to have refined the software and worked out numerous bugs.
It remains to be seen if the technology will make it into Japan’s Pro Leagues anytime soon. However, with similar tech already up and running the American MLB, there is a strong chance this could catch on.
That’s all for now but be sure to check back again same time next week for another round of this week in Osaka!
