94.8% of Foreign Residents Want to Interact With Japanese Neighbors, but 72.4% of Japanese Fear Rising Crime, Gunma Survey Finds
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A survey on coexistence conducted by Gunma Prefecture among both foreign and Japanese residents found that while 94.8% of foreign residents said they wanted to interact with Japanese people, 72.4% of Japanese residents said they believed "public order and social norms are deteriorating due to the growing foreign resident population." According to Yomiuri Shimbun Online, 30.2% of foreign residents described themselves as having a "close" relationship with nearby Japanese residents, up 12.4 points from a previous survey in 2020.
The results highlight a divergence in perceptions between the two groups: strong interest in interaction among foreign residents, and strong concern over public safety among Japanese residents.
Current status: The specific number of respondents, the survey methodology, and how the prefecture plans to reflect the results in future policy remain unclear as of this writing. This article will be updated as further details emerge.
Editorial Perspective
The Technical Intern Training Program is set to be replaced by the new Employment for Skill Development system in April 2027 (related article), and developments like this one can be seen as part of the institutional design process during that transition. Expanding acceptance also requires resolving practical issues such as broker problems in sending countries and building proper oversight systems among accepting employers. For the new system to work as intended rather than merely on paper, it will be important to continue examining how it actually operates once implemented.