Japanese city mixes up plan to recognize foreigners as citizens

A Japanese city is considering not including foreigners in its definition of citizens, officials said Wednesday, after receiving public comments opposing a possible revision of the ordinance to that end.

The city of Kumamoto in southwestern Japan, which currently only defines its citizens as residents and people who study there, had planned to add the phrase “those with a foreign nationality” amid a growing foreign population.

He hoped that the revision would encourage foreign residents to participate in community activities. But the proposal led to a misunderstanding that they would eventually get voting rights, officials said.

The majority of the 1,888 comments, received in about a month since Dec. 20, opposed the potential revision, according to the city.

Both ruling and opposition members of the municipal assembly expressed views challenging the review during a session of their committee on Tuesday, with some saying it could cause divisions among residents.

Kenichi Yokota, a senior official who oversees cultural and citizen affairs, responded: “I think it’s premature to state it clearly in writing at this point if it’s going to cause confusion.”

The city now plans to make a final decision after further consultation with citizens.