The Political Dynamics of Japan's Immigration Policies during the Abe Government*

This paper examines Japan's immigration policies during the Abe government. Japan has maintained its very restrictive immigration policies, especially for unskilled foreign workers, since the early 1990s. But despite Japan's reluctance to open its doors to unskilled foreign workers, the Abe government drastically shifted its policy position toward expanding the employment of unskilled foreign workers through the revision of the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Law in 2018. This paper argues that while Japan's demographic crisis and the strong business demand for the foreign workforce are important in explaining this change, Prime Minister Abe's political leadership is another key factor accounting for Japan's recent policy choice.