One aspect of globalization is freer employment across national borders, including Japan's borders. Although foreigners are increasingly becoming important members of the nation's labor force, by and large, the job market here remains effectively closed to them. Yet foreign employment looks set for a gradual increase in the long run.
Already many foreigners are working in restaurants, factories, hospitals and various companies; they are also to be seen in provincial areas such as fishing ports and farming villages. Many also live in housing developments. It is also true that many are working without permits, or they are overstaying their visas. Their number is estimated at 220,000. This means that roughly one in three foreigners is an illegal worker or resident. Not a few such people, statistics show, end up committing crime, although their number represents a fraction of the total.
In 2003, foreigners were arrested on criminal charges in more than 27,000 cases, according to the latest report from the National Police Agency. The number of reported felony cases, such as robbery and murder, showed an increase. While this is disturbing, one should not jump to the conclusion that illegal workers and residents are prone to crime. The fact is that the percentage of foreigners or illegal residents in Japan has not risen as rapidly over the past decade as the rate of increase in the total number of people, including Japanese, arrested on criminal charges. It is a gross generalization to associate illegal residents directly with criminality.