KIRSTIN MURRAY: This is the friendly face of Japan, Ever hopeful of luring affluent sightseers.
PEOPLE IN ADVERTISEMENT: (All chant) Welcome to Japan.
KIRSTIN MURRAY: But when it comes to foreign workers, especially those from poorer countries, Japan's welcome quickly disappears.Last year, just over 60,000 foreign workers entered the country, but the United Nations estimates 10 times that amount is needed every year just to maintain its labour force.The few who are allowed in are mostly white, wealthy and well educated ... like Australian Wayne Ryan.
WAYNE RYAN, AUSTRALIAN WORKER: In my particular case, I think that they wanted a native-speaking person to take on the job for Tokyo because it also involves working with other non-native speakers throughout the region.It takes a long time to get to know people.It takes a long time to get inside the circle of a group.That has been the most challenging element and I am in some respects still not there.
KIRSTIN MURRAY: Here more than 23,000 people are aged over 100 and with a declining birth rate Japan will lose 20 per cent of its population in the next 45 years.
PROFESSOR TAKATOSHI ITO, UNIVERSITY OF TOKYO: Support that we need to give to the retired will become much of the burden to the Japanese society.And we can benefit more from immigrants and guest workers from abroad, and frankly speaking I think without that Japanese economy will really stagnate.
KIRSTIN MURRAY: Already many industries are struggling to find willing Japanese workers for the so-called 3D jobs, those that are dirty, dangerous and demeaning.
PROFESSOR ADELSON DE BRITO, BRAZILIAN-JAPANESE COMMUNITY LEADER: The kind of jobs Japanese nationals avoid.
KIRSTIN MURRAY: Professor Adelson De Brito is an advocate for the rights of foreign workers. Every Sunday from this community hall he tries to help the thousands of Brazilian workers scratching a living in this industrial town west of Tokyo and even though these Brazilians have Japanese ancestry they're not treated like most Japanese citizens.
PROFESSOR ADELSON DE BRITO: There is this Japanese law that if you have a company in which foreign employees are working for you you are supposed to inscribe everybody into the social security system, so what happens? This law actually does not apply if the employees are foreigners, because we know of companies, you know, big companies, that have more than 1,000 employees, for example, and not one of them is inscribed in this social security system.
KIRSTIN MURRAY: This Brazilian couple say foreigners are often exploited.
SHEILA NAKAMURA, BRAZILIAN WORKER: TRANSLATION: I asked a man at the temporary employment agency why I cannot work overtime and then the man said he would give me overtime work if I go out with him.I did not like the idea, and two days later both of us were fired.
PROFESSOR ADELSON DE BRITO: The main problem is that Japanese society did not try to get fit to the new reality ... foreigners are coming.We're not talking about machines, we are talking about human beings, coming into Japan, due to a Japanese need.
KIRSTIN MURRAY: But the Government has been slow to protect immigrants, instead putting a bigger effort into cracking down on a reported 200,000 people who've overstayed their visas.Police search for suspicious foreigners who've been blamed for rising crime levels.Public notices warn of bad foreigner crime and on the Department of Immigration's website citizens are invited to dob in a foreigner.
ANTI-IMMIGRATION CAMPAIGNER: Their purpose for coming to Japan is neither for sightseeing nor for learning Japanese culture.They come to Japan to commit crimes.
KIRSTIN MURRAY: Although this extreme right-wing group is mostly ignored, a government-sponored poll found 83 per cent of the population oppose increased immigration.
PROFESSOR TAKATOSHI ITO: I think that we should take in the skilled workers more and I think that's the better balance than now and that will sort of quiet down the concerns of having more foreigners.
KIRSTIN MURRAY: Professor Takatoshi Ito chairs a government committee on foreign workers.
PROFESSOR TAKATOSHI ITO: Unskilled workers where needed, will be admitted with the condition that they will not depart from the intended jobs.
KIRSTIN MURRAY: But even though it clearly needs people, Japan has been reluctant to increase its racial mix.
KANJI NISHIO, JAPANESE SOCIETY FOR HISTORY TEXTBOOK REFORM: TRANSLATION: My biggest concern is that our lands and inhabitants will remain but Japanese culture will disappear and probably half of Japanese will be mixed blood.What should I call such a country?
KIRSTIN MURRAY: But so cautious has the country been it's now in danger of losing the workers it's so keen to attract. Wayne Ryan says he favours the opportunities and lifestyle Australia can offer his daughter Mickey.
WAYNE RYAN: I don't think that I could live here for the rest of my life.For her to have an education in English, one, it would cost a substantial amount of money, and she would not get that same background at the Japanese school.
KIRSTIN MURRAY: But it's the poorer workers who present the greatest challenge for integration into Japanese society.
KANJI NISHIO (TRANSLATION): Once we accept them, that is the end.
PROFESSOR ADELSON DE BRITO: There is no way out.We have to count on foreigners to build, to stabilise Japanese society.
KIRSTIN MURRAY: Just how Japan deals with its declining workforce will test the country's legendary ingenuity.
PEOPLE IN ADVERTISEMENT: (All chant) Welcome to Japan.
KIRSTIN MURRAY: But when it comes to foreign workers, especially those from poorer countries, Japan's welcome quickly disappears.Last year, just over 60,000 foreign workers entered the country, but the United Nations estimates 10 times that amount is needed every year just to maintain its labour force.The few who are allowed in are mostly white, wealthy and well educated ... like Australian Wayne Ryan.
WAYNE RYAN, AUSTRALIAN WORKER: In my particular case, I think that they wanted a native-speaking person to take on the job for Tokyo because it also involves working with other non-native speakers throughout the region.It takes a long time to get to know people.It takes a long time to get inside the circle of a group.That has been the most challenging element and I am in some respects still not there.
KIRSTIN MURRAY: Here more than 23,000 people are aged over 100 and with a declining birth rate Japan will lose 20 per cent of its population in the next 45 years.
PROFESSOR TAKATOSHI ITO, UNIVERSITY OF TOKYO: Support that we need to give to the retired will become much of the burden to the Japanese society.And we can benefit more from immigrants and guest workers from abroad, and frankly speaking I think without that Japanese economy will really stagnate.
KIRSTIN MURRAY: Already many industries are struggling to find willing Japanese workers for the so-called 3D jobs, those that are dirty, dangerous and demeaning.
PROFESSOR ADELSON DE BRITO, BRAZILIAN-JAPANESE COMMUNITY LEADER: The kind of jobs Japanese nationals avoid.
KIRSTIN MURRAY: Professor Adelson De Brito is an advocate for the rights of foreign workers. Every Sunday from this community hall he tries to help the thousands of Brazilian workers scratching a living in this industrial town west of Tokyo and even though these Brazilians have Japanese ancestry they're not treated like most Japanese citizens.
PROFESSOR ADELSON DE BRITO: There is this Japanese law that if you have a company in which foreign employees are working for you you are supposed to inscribe everybody into the social security system, so what happens? This law actually does not apply if the employees are foreigners, because we know of companies, you know, big companies, that have more than 1,000 employees, for example, and not one of them is inscribed in this social security system.
KIRSTIN MURRAY: This Brazilian couple say foreigners are often exploited.
SHEILA NAKAMURA, BRAZILIAN WORKER: TRANSLATION: I asked a man at the temporary employment agency why I cannot work overtime and then the man said he would give me overtime work if I go out with him.I did not like the idea, and two days later both of us were fired.
PROFESSOR ADELSON DE BRITO: The main problem is that Japanese society did not try to get fit to the new reality ... foreigners are coming.We're not talking about machines, we are talking about human beings, coming into Japan, due to a Japanese need.
KIRSTIN MURRAY: But the Government has been slow to protect immigrants, instead putting a bigger effort into cracking down on a reported 200,000 people who've overstayed their visas.Police search for suspicious foreigners who've been blamed for rising crime levels.Public notices warn of bad foreigner crime and on the Department of Immigration's website citizens are invited to dob in a foreigner.
ANTI-IMMIGRATION CAMPAIGNER: Their purpose for coming to Japan is neither for sightseeing nor for learning Japanese culture.They come to Japan to commit crimes.
KIRSTIN MURRAY: Although this extreme right-wing group is mostly ignored, a government-sponored poll found 83 per cent of the population oppose increased immigration.
PROFESSOR TAKATOSHI ITO: I think that we should take in the skilled workers more and I think that's the better balance than now and that will sort of quiet down the concerns of having more foreigners.
KIRSTIN MURRAY: Professor Takatoshi Ito chairs a government committee on foreign workers.
PROFESSOR TAKATOSHI ITO: Unskilled workers where needed, will be admitted with the condition that they will not depart from the intended jobs.
KIRSTIN MURRAY: But even though it clearly needs people, Japan has been reluctant to increase its racial mix.
KANJI NISHIO, JAPANESE SOCIETY FOR HISTORY TEXTBOOK REFORM: TRANSLATION: My biggest concern is that our lands and inhabitants will remain but Japanese culture will disappear and probably half of Japanese will be mixed blood.What should I call such a country?
KIRSTIN MURRAY: But so cautious has the country been it's now in danger of losing the workers it's so keen to attract. Wayne Ryan says he favours the opportunities and lifestyle Australia can offer his daughter Mickey.
WAYNE RYAN: I don't think that I could live here for the rest of my life.For her to have an education in English, one, it would cost a substantial amount of money, and she would not get that same background at the Japanese school.
KIRSTIN MURRAY: But it's the poorer workers who present the greatest challenge for integration into Japanese society.
KANJI NISHIO (TRANSLATION): Once we accept them, that is the end.
PROFESSOR ADELSON DE BRITO: There is no way out.We have to count on foreigners to build, to stabilise Japanese society.
KIRSTIN MURRAY: Just how Japan deals with its declining workforce will test the country's legendary ingenuity.