Japan wrestles with its views on ‘outside people’ amid population crisis

The number of foreign workers in Japan is rising as part of efforts to ease the demographic crisis, but the language barrier and uncompetitive salaries are proving an obstacle. Photograph: Tomohiro Ohsumi/Getty Images

Murumuru spends his weekends toiling on building sites in Japan in the sticky heat of summer to supplement the income from his other job at a bakery. A certified IT specialist, he arrived in Tokyo from Sri Lanka a year ago, hoping to take advantage of job opportunities that have opened up as part of Japan’s efforts to tackle its population crisis and encourage more immigration.

But Murumuru, a nickname given to him by his Japanese colleagues, has found it hard. Despite staff shortages, both he and his wife, a qualified physiotherapist, have found the language barrier an obstacle.