Immigration Gunma town to hire foreigners as regular staff from 2025

• dealing with personal information
• promoted to managerial posts
• involved in the exercise of public authority, such as imposing and collecting taxes.

Specifically, the town will drop the Japanese nationality requirement for regular municipal government jobs, and assign foreign nationals to divisions not dealing with personal information. "There are various hurdles, but we must take a step forward," the mayor told reporters. According to the town, as of the end of May it was home to about 8,300 foreign residents, accounting for some 20% of its approximately 42,000 population. The latest move will allow taxpaying foreign townspeople to get involved in civic management, thereby helping improve services for fellow non-Japanese locals. Foreign regular staff will be assigned to construction and civil engineering work, such as park management and road repairs, as well as general office work.

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When nine individuals were hired in 2020, one in 12.9 applicants proved successful in the employment exam. While 15 and nine were employed in 2021 and 2022, the competitive rate was one in 9.8 and 14.0, respectively. However, once hired, foreign employees could not be promoted to hold managerial positions as division chiefs or other senior posts, including managers of municipal facilities. They also could not be involved in the development of fundamental policies of the town. Non-Japanese employees would also be unable to exert public authority for imposing taxes, seizing tax delinquents' properties, deciding urban planning, acquiring land, conducting on-site inspections or performing similar tasks.

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thomas said:

Interestingly, Toyota City has "only" 5 per cent foreign population.

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The influx of foreigners in Oizumi began in 1990 when Japan's immigration law was revised, effectively permitting employment for foreign nationals of Japanese descent. Oizumi's small- and mid-size businesses, struggling with labor shortages, actively recruited them, leading to significant changes in the local community. Trouble associated with the growing foreign population was frequently covered by the media. However, Murayama emphasizes that such conflicts have diminished over time. He said, "Crime rates have dropped by 38% since I became mayor. Disputes over issues like garbage and noise have also decreased significantly." Meanwhile, tax revenues from businesses supported by foreign labor have enriched the town. Regarded by the national government as having a strong fiscal capacity, Oizumi has become a municipality exempt from receiving local allocation tax grants this year -- a condition applicable to only about 5% of municipalities nationwide. Events involving both foreign and Japanese residents are held in the town, and as a model for multicultural coexistence, it constantly receives visits from local governments and organizations nationwide.

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thomas said:

Oizumi Town in Gunma, where foreigners make up 20% of the population, was often mentioned as an example of "peaceful co-existence between Japanese and foreign residents." Following the rise of Sanseitō and PM Takaichi's pledge to review immigration policies, the town's political climate has changed.

One catalyst was the July House of Councillors election. In Oizumi, the Sanseitō's proportional representation vote share was 15.6%, surpassing the national average of 12.6%. In the single-seat constituency, the Sanseitō candidate topped the polls in the town, outnumbering the ruling Liberal Democratic Party candidate. The rise of the Sanseitō could alter Oizumi's image as a city successfully coexisting with foreigners. Mayor Murayama Toshiaki, who has focused on "co-existence" with foreigners since taking office in 2013, expressed surprise at the election results.



In 2024, nearly three in ten babies born in the town—28.9%—were foreign nationals. Among Japanese residents, the largest age group was fifty to fifty-four, while among foreign residents, it was twenty-five to twenty-nine. This younger demographic has brought energy and labour strength to the community, helping sustain its local economy.

Since 1986, the town's total population has grown by almost 12%—a rare trend for municipalities of its size—though the number of Japanese residents alone has fallen by over 11%. At present, forty-seven foreign workers are employed in local care facilities, and that number continues to rise. Murayama observed that without them, there would be few people left to care for Japan's ageing and bedridden citizens. He added that Oizumi, often viewed as a symbol of Japan's demographic future, had long worked under the belief that its own experience offered a glimpse of what the country as a whole would soon face, and that the community must keep striving toward genuine co-existence.

Mayor of Japan town with many foreigners perplexed by rising support for Sanseito - The Mainichi

OIZUMI, Gunma -- Across Japan, more people are taking a critical view of foreigners. For instance, in the recent Miyagi gubernatorial election, a cand

mainichi.jp

The microcosm of Oizumi ultimately reflects Japan's current predicament.

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Lothor said:

Is it a 'predicament' or is it simple xenophobia? It sounds from the example of Oizumi that however much foreigners contribute to solving Japan's economic and demographic problems, they are not wanted by a large section of the population.

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mdchachi said:

I don't know about how large. Probably a vocal minority.

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