Japan sees their F’ed demographics and wants these foreigners to stay. Anything to avoid fixing the toxic culture and ethos surrounding work.
How long is that “long term”? A refugee only wants a permanent solution. Any law that will send them back at, say 80, is a nonsolution if they are seeking refuge from China, Saudi, wherever. Because they know they are lucky if their punishment at home is merely a death sentence.
I won’t believe this is a well-minded deal. The pattern has been that the bureaucrats feared conservative backlash and took every step to deter foreigners to stay. That WON’T change without destroying the current political structure.
It’s a step in the right direction, regardless. Refugees are not all in the same situation and not all of them “only want a permanent solution”. The article cites “refugees from conflict zones”, and many people in such situations are indeed considering returning home if it becomes safe. Many other people may be in a location for several years before choosing a more careful plan to settle somewhere.
Lastly, it’s a lot easier for a country to normalize the long term status of temporary residents when they are already in the work force, speaking the language, not an outsized burden on social services, etc.
