CIVIC GROUP RALLIES AGAINST ANTI - FOREIGNER RHETORIC AHEAD OF JAPAN ELECTION - TOKYO JAPAN

CIVIC GROUP RALLIES AGAINST ANTI - FOREIGNER RHETORIC AHEAD OF JAPAN ELECTION - TOKYO JAPAN

@Jr_Paku Midin Channel

TOKYO

Residents gathered in Tokyo on Friday to oppose misinformation and discrimination against foreigners as campaigning for the Feb 8 general election effectively got under way.

Policies targeting foreigners have increasingly drawn attention since the previous national election last summer, underscored by the rise of the fringe party Sanseito, which advocated "Japanese First" and policies critics see as xenophobic.

At the rally organized by a civic group comprising lawyers and university faculty members, participants voiced concerns that xenophobic rhetoric could spread during the election campaign and called for "a society in which everyone is respected."

"We need to make visible the voices of citizens who are against candidates trying to win elections with false information and discrimination," said lawyer Keiko Ota, who organized the event in front of the busy JR Shinjuku Station.

Kihei Maekawa, a former top education ministry bureaucrat, criticized the government led by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi for trying to win voter support by "treating foreigners living in Japan as a nuisance."

Takaichi, a staunch conservative, called for a House of Representatives election to seek a public mandate for the three-month-old ruling coalition between her Liberal Democratic Party and the Japan Innovation Party. The LDP's campaign pledges signal a tougher stance on issues concerning foreigners, such as visa overstays.

During the rally, a message from Takaichi's predecessor, Shigeru Ishiba, was read aloud.

"The true essence of conservatism lies in a sincere and tolerant attitude that does not permit prejudice or discrimination, respects others, and listens humbly to differing opinions," said the former prime minister, who also belongs to the LDP.

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@Jr_Paku Midin Channel