The Oct. 26 gubernatorial election in Miyagi Prefecture, northeastern Japan, drew national attention. This was due to Masamune Wada, backed by the right-wing Sanseito party, closely challenging incumbent Yoshihiro Murai, who won the poll.

The election was peculiar, with discussions online since before the campaigning period officially started focusing on issues such as the pros and cons over burial practices envisaging Muslims and the management of water services (falsely claimed to be outsourced to a foreign company). Many online posts were said to have been not based on facts, but a majority of them criticized Murai for allegedly favoring foreigners.

Despite being a local election, the prominence of foreigner-related topics reflects the current era.

Experiences in a town where foreigners make up 20% of population

This reporter is currently covering the town of Oizumi, Gunma Prefecture, where foreigners constitute some 20% of the population. As the scrutiny surrounding foreigners intensifies across Japan, I wanted to understand what is happening in a town with a significant foreign population.

Upon arriving, I immediately noticed the lack of interaction between Japanese and foreigners. The town boasts a diverse range of international restaurants, including Brazilian, Nepalese and Filipino. While there is a rich international atmosphere, local Japanese residents are rarely seen. In a Persian restaurant, I was the only apparent Japanese customer among nearly 10 patrons. Similarly, upon learning I am Japanese, an employee at a Filipino restaurant curiously asked, "Why have you come to this place?" suggesting the rarity of Japanese customers.

A 63-year-old man working at a grocery store emphasized, "Japanese people gather with Japanese, and foreigners with foreigners. There were never any points of contact to begin with."

Walking through Oizumi, I recalled the Shibazono housing complex in Kawaguchi, Saitama Prefecture, which I visited last year to report on. Of its approximately 4,600 residents, about 2,700, or 60%, were foreigners. Yet, like in Oizumi, there is little connection between Japanese and foreigners.

Few Japanese harbor animosity toward foreigners likely because they lack interaction enough to form such sentiment. This was the same pattern observed in Oizumi.

However, it does not mean there is no point of contact. For example, the presidents of small and medium-sized enterprises in Oizumi who employ foreigners interact with them daily, recognizing both their positive and negative aspects. One business owner noted, "There are bad people among both Japanese and foreigners. It's the same regardless of nationality." This owner's words reflected an attitude of assessing the presence of foreigners not as "good" or "bad," but in relative context.

I observed similar sentiments among younger people. A woman in her 30s said, "Since elementary school, having foreigners in the class was a given. I feel they are more like fellow residents than foreigners."

Since the 1990s, Oizumi has seen an influx of foreigners, with their children attending local elementary and junior high schools. Consequently, for those in their 30s and younger, studying alongside foreigners is the norm, with some classes at an elementary school now comprising 40% foreign students. Second- and third-generation foreigners are native Japanese speakers and well-integrated into Japanese culture. One elderly person remarked, "Unlike me, my son has foreign friends."

While it is true that there is criticism of Japanese schools' focus on assimilating foreigners into Japanese society, I think the experience of Japanese and foreigners studying together and forming friendships is invaluable.

According to the media that conducted exit polls in the Miyagi gubernatorial election, younger voters favored Wada. This confirmed that young people are drawn to Sanseito with its "Japanese First" slogan.

While it is uncertain how a similar survey would turn out in Oizumi, the presence of young people who can interact with foreigners without prejudice could offer hope in addressing foreigner-related issues in Japan.

(Japanese original by Akihiro Kawakami, Tokyo City News Department)