Politics
Professor's 'Just Naturalize Them' Immigration Fix Sets Off a Sharp Backlash in Japan
Atsushi Kondo, a Meijo University law professor and member of an Immigration Services Agency advisory panel, told the House of Councillors Judicial Affairs Committee that if a rising foreigner ratio is the concern, Japan should make naturalization easier so 'they count as Japanese.' Japanese forums reject the idea sharply, comparing it to 'putting a Japan label on Chinese goods' and 'a bargain-basement sale of citizenship,' citing the European migration debate as a cautionary case.