KUALA LUMPUR - Takahito Ishida, 35, who was elected governor of Fukui Prefecture for the first time, posted a video on social media on January 12 during the election campaign stating that ‘Japan is a single-ethnicity nation.’

According to Kyodo, Ishida made the remark while explaining his opposition to immigration policies.

Ishida, who became Japan’s youngest sitting governor, attracted nationwide attention following his election victory.

Speaking to reporters on January 26, the day after his win, Ishida said the comment was made in the context of concerns that problems could arise if immigrants and foreign workers were accepted in an unregulated manner.

Remarks by politicians describing Japan as a single-ethnicity nation have been made repeatedly in the past.

Critics argue that such statements overlook the presence of ethnic minorities, including the Ainu people, as well as residents with roots overseas, such as those from the Korean Peninsula, and amount to discriminatory rhetoric.

According to the Asahi Shimbun, Japan is home to nearly four million foreign residents, accounting for about 3% of the total population.

Among them, permanent residents make up the largest group, and when special permanent residents, many of whom are former Japanese nationals from the Korean Peninsula and Taiwan, are included, the share exceeds 30%.

In addition, the number of Japanese nationals with diverse backgrounds, such as children of international couples and naturalized citizens, has been increasing.

As immigration policy becomes one of the key issues in the election, concerns have been raised that remarks perceived as discriminatory toward foreigners could become more frequent.