Just 16 percent of prefectural and municipal assembly leaders in Japan believe there should be further debate on whether to grant foreign residents the vote in local referendums, results of a Kyodo News survey show, with many citing a need for care in approaching the issue.
The government in the western Japan prefecture of Kagawa has called on local hotel operators to stop asking foreign residents for identification when they check in, local officials say.
Just 16 percent of prefectural and municipal assembly leaders in Japan believe there should be further debate on whether to grant foreign residents the vote in local referendums, results of a Kyodo News survey show, with many citing a need for care in approaching the issue.
A record 1.82 million foreigners were working in Japan as of the end of October last year, government data show, in a 5.5 percent rise from the year before driven primarily by labor shortages as well as foreign students and permanent residents finding employment.