Criminals or Victims? The Politics of Illegal Foreigners in Japan

Public opinion over illegal foreigners in Japan is highly contested. Some political leaders construct negative images of illegal foreigners as criminals, while activists portray them as victims. These activists provide an alternative source of information about the conditions of illegal foreigners and are an important counterweight to official Japan's more prejudiced activities. Consequently, Japanese attitudes toward illegal foreigners during the 1990s were mixed, with an increasing association of illegal foreigners and criminality and a rise in the perception of them as victims deprived of basic rights. Renewed efforts from state actors have further incited xenophobic attitudes toward illegal foreigners.