JIP, Sanseito Call for Cap on Foreigners in Japan

From Jiji

February 3 2026

TOKYO – The Japan Innovation Party and Sanseito have called for setting a cap on the percentage of foreign nationals in Japan’s population in their promises to voters for Sunday’s House of Representatives election. 
   By contrast, the Liberal Democratic Party, the JIP’s ally in the ruling camp, makes no mention of such a cap in its election platform. The Centrist Reform Alliance, a new opposition party created by Lower House lawmakers from the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and Komeito, considers such a cap a premature measure.
   Last month, the government adopted a comprehensive package of measures, showing its basic policy on foreign nationals. The measures include tightening conditions for the acquisition of Japanese nationality, enhancing steps against nonpayment of medical fees under the public health insurance system and setting rules on land purchases. Regarding whether to restrict the number of foreign nationals in Japan, the government only said it will consider such an option.
   Preliminary data from the Immigration Services Agency have shown that the number of foreigners admitted into Japan logged a record high of 42.43 million in 2025. The proportion of foreign nationals in the country’s population is forecast to exceed 10 pct in 2070, according to the National Institute for Population and Social Security Research.
   In light of the increase in foreign residents, the JIP has made a cap on foreign nationals a core policy, while Sanseito has proposed tightening restrictions on the total number of foreign nationals admitted into Japan. The Conservative Party of Japan has called for a halt to an inflow of foreign nationals, saying that it will suspend immigration.