TOKYO – Outside a train station near the capital, a large crowd applauds as Sohei Kamiya, leader of the burgeoning nationalist party Sanseito, speaks against the swift increase in Japan’s foreign population.

As opponents, separated by uniformed police and bodyguards, accuse him of racism, Kamiya shouts back, saying he is only talking common sense.

Even as a minor party, Sanseito achieved significant success in the July parliamentary elections. Kamiya’s platform, emphasizing “Japanese First” with anti-globalism, anti-immigration, and anti-liberal stances, is gaining momentum just before the ruling party’s vote on Saturday, which will likely decide the next prime minister.

Policies opposing immigration, which provide an outlet for populists to express their grievances against simple targets, are becoming attractive to more Japanese citizens dealing with stagnant wages, increasing costs, and uncertain futures.

“Many Japanese deal with such issues privately, as we tend to be reticent. Mr. Kamiya is expressing them clearly for us,” explained Kenzo Hagiya, a retired attendee, noting that the “foreigner issue” is among his primary concerns.

This rise in populism occurs as Japan, known for its preference for conformity and traditional insularity, faces an unprecedented influx of foreigners needed to support a dwindling workforce.

Last month, heated protests driven by misinformation spread on social media about an impending wave of African immigrants led to the cancellation of a government-sponsored exchange program between four cities in Japan and African countries.

Even the governing party, which has promoted foreign labor and tourism, now calls for tighter restrictions on foreigners, but without showing how Japan, which has one of the world’s fastest-aging and fastest-dwindling populations, can economically stay afloat without them.

Kamiya says his platform has nothing to do with racism

“We only want to protect the peaceful lives and public safety of the Japanese,” he said at the rally in Yokohama, a major residential area for foreigners. Japanese people tolerate foreigners who respect the “Japanese way,” but those who cling to their own customs are not accepted because they intimidate, cause stress and anger the Japanese, he said.

Kamiya said the government was allowing foreign workers into the country only to benefit big Japanese businesses.

“Why do foreigners come first when the Japanese are struggling to make ends meet and suffering from fear?” Kamiya asked. “We are just saying the obvious in an obvious way. Attacking us for racial discrimination is wrong.”

Kamiya’s anti-immigrant message is gaining traction

All five candidates competing in Saturday’s governing Liberal Democratic Party leadership vote to replace outgoing Shigeru Ishiba as prime minister are vowing tougher measures on foreigners.

One of the favorites, former Economic Security Minister Sanae Takaichi, a hardline ultra-conservative, was criticized for championing unconfirmed claims that foreign tourists abused deer at a park in Nara, her hometown.

Takaichi later said she wanted to convey the growing sense of anxiety and anger among many Japanese about ”outrageous” foreigners.

During the July election campaign, far-right candidates insulted Japan’s about 2,000 Kurds, many of whom fled persecution in Turkey.

A Kurdish citizen, who escaped to Japan as a child after his father faced arrest for complaining about military hazing, said he and his fellow Kurds have had to deal with people calling them criminals on social media.

Japan has a history of discrimination against ethnic Koreans and Chinese, dating from the colonialist era in the first half of the 20th century.

Some of that discrimination persists today, with insults and attacks targeting Chinese immigrants, investors and their businesses.

Hoang Vinh Tien, 44, a Vietnamese resident who has lived in Japan for more than 20 years, says foreigners are often underpaid and face discrimination, including in renting apartments. He says he has worked hard to be accepted as part of the community.

“As we hear about trouble involving foreigners, I share the concerns of the Japanese people who want to protect Japan, and I support stricter measures for anyone from any country, including Vietnam,” Hoang said.

Rising foreigner numbers, but not nearly enough to bolster the economy

Japan’s foreign population last year hit a new high of more than 3.7 million. That’s only about 3% of the country’s population. Japan, which also promotes inbound tourism, aims to receive 60 million visitors in 2030, up from 50 million last year.

The foreign workforce tripled over the past decade to a record 2.3 million last year, according to Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare statistics. An increase of 300,000 from a year earlier was twice the projected pace. Many work in manufacturing, retail, farming and fishing.

Even as the foreign population surged, only about 12,000 foreigners were arrested last year, despite alarmists’ claims that there would be a crimewave, National Police Agency figures show.

The pro-business ruling Liberal Democratic Party in 1993 launched a foreign trainee program and has since drastically expanded its scope in phases. But the program has been criticized as an exploitive attempt to make up for a declining domestic workforce. It will be renewed in 2027 with more flexibility for workers and stricter oversight for employers.

Many Japanese view immigrants as cheap labor who speak little Japanese, allow their children to drop out of school and live in high-crime communities, says Toshihiro Menju, a professor at Kansai University of International Studies and an expert on immigration policies.

He says the prejudice stems from Japan’s “stealth immigration system” that accepts foreign labor as de facto immigrants but without providing adequate support for them or an explanation to the public to help foster acceptance.

A Sanseito supporter in her 50s echoed some of these views but acknowledged that she has never personally encountered trouble with foreigners.

Meanwhile, Japan faces real economic pain if it doesn’t figure out the immigration issue.

The nation will need three times more foreign workers, or a total of 6.7 million people, than it currently allows, by 2040 to achieve 1.24% annual growth, according to a 2022 Japan International Cooperation Agency study. Without these workers, the Japanese economy, including the farming, fishing and service sectors, will become paralyzed, experts say.

It is unclear whether Japan can attract that many foreign workers in the future, as its dwindling salaries and lack of diversity makes it less attractive.

A growing party that’s part of a changing political landscape

Sanseito started in 2020 when Kamiya began attracting people on YouTube and social media who were discontent with conventional parties.

Kamiya, a former assembly member in the town of Suita, near Osaka, focused on revisionist views of Japan’s modern history, conspiracy theories, anti-vaccine ideas and spiritualism.

Kamiya said he is “extremely inspired by the anti-globalism policies” of U.S. President Donald Trump, but not his style. He invited conservative activist and Trump ally Charlie Kirk to Tokyo for a talk event days before his assassination, and Kamiya has compared his party to far-right parties such as the Alternative for Germany party (AfD), the National Rally of France and Britain’s Reform UK.

His priority, he said in an interview with The Associated Press, is to further expand his support base, and he hopes to field more than 100 candidates in future elections.