Japan slowly opens its doors to foreign workers

This would have been a rare sight just ten years ago. Foreigners working on a Japanese construction site. One of them, Weng, is Chinese. Initially, a friend told me that life would be easy here and that I could have a better salary. Half of the employees at this company are foreign. The number of non Japanese at the firm has increased sevenfold since 2011, and its turnover has almost doubled. Young Japanese people no longer want to do tough work outdoors. There aren't enough people coming into the construction sector, so we decided to hire more foreigners. Japan is still a comparatively closed society. Foreigners represent less than 3% of the population, nearly 1/4 the proportion in France. But under pressure from hard pressed firms, the country is opening up. Wang arrived in Japan 14 years ago. Last year, he was able to secure a visa with better conditions. His new visa means his family can join him in Japan. He's lucky so far. This visa change applies to fewer than 100 workers from overseas. The Japanese don't usually make this kind of dish. I used to feel sad cooking it all alone. Wang welcomed his family to Japan eight months ago. During his time in the country, he only saw them on occasional trips back home. I was young, I was around 3 when my father left. We hardly ever saw each other as he rarely returned to China. I really wanted to come to Japan with my mother and live with my father again. But settling in Japan comes with challenges for Wang's family, including getting to grips with the Japanese language. We'll keep trying for another three or four years. I'll do my best to get a visa that allows me to stay here permanently. That's a dream shared by a lot of migrant workers. Wang must renew his visa every year, but he's one of the fortunate ones. Other foreigners in Japan have far less security because of their visa status, and some have shared their predicament on social media. This Vietnamese worker, dressed in a blue uniform, is being mistreated by his Japanese colleagues. Like many migrant workers, he can only stay in Japan for as long as his company wants to keep him. Under the recent reforms, though, foreign workers will have the right to leave their company and find new jobs. It's a sign that Japan is becoming more open as it tries to hire more workers. In short, it has to be more welcoming. You can see that since 2000, the number of foreigners has doubled has also become more diversified. There used to be very few Vietnamese in Japan, but they now represent the second biggest group of immigrants. Japan is one of the world's fastest ageing societies and its birth rate is one of the lowest. If it wants its economy to thrive in the future, it will have to triple the number of migrant workers over the next 15 years. The acceptance of highly qualified foreigners such as engineers has never been a problem. The issue of manual workers is still very sensitive politically. It took strong pressure from industrialists for the government to take measures in their favour. But changing mentalities is not easy. In this highly homogeneous society, foreigners do not go unnoticed, and they're even mistrusted, especially if they have dark skin. Maurice, a boxing coach, has been randomly stopped by police 17 times during his decade in Japan. He believes the officers were engaging in racial profiling and has filed a legal complaint. The trial is ongoing. Maurice has worked hard to fit in. He runs his own business, has permanent residency, and he and his Japanese wife have five children. You have to calculate as part of your day. Being harassed, being stopped near my local train station and having other people look at me like I'm a criminal or just some random foreign, you know, like near do well, that's dealing drugs to all the little kids. It's it's crazy to me for my children who were born and raised here. I don't want them to ever think that they're just intrinsically by birth, inferior to anybody. Despite his ordeal, Maurice wants to stay here. He's hopeful that as more migrants arrive, life will improve for all non Japanese. One thing is certain, with more than 3 million foreign residents, the face of Japan is changing fast. Special event. Follow all the news from the games in our new programme. Hello and welcome to Destination Paris. Different perspectives, interviews with the athletes. So this is all very important part of the process. We've got to try and avoid injuries as best as we can. We'll bring you all the preparations for this historic event. Don't miss Destination Paris on France 24. Don't miss Prime News Paris with Thomas Burgess Watson. Get a better knowledge and understanding of current affairs with our experts and reporters around the world. I'll bring you prime news Paris every evening right here on France 24.