How social media is influencing Japanese children’s views on immigrants

More than 42% of children between the ages of 6 and 12 years old use social media in Japan, according to a 2025 report by the communications ministry. From age 13, that share rises to 92.9%. | Getty Images

Nov 13, 2026

Amid a wide-scale tightening of Japan’s immigration rules, social media is playing a significant role in shaping how foreign nationals are perceived by the public — including by children.

A survey released earlier this month found that junior high school students were increasingly negative about immigration. More than 40% of those surveyed opposed the notion that “an increase in the number of foreigners living in Japan will bring many benefits to society.”

The survey, conducted by University of Tokyo professor Norihiro Nihei, was carried out in October and November last year — in the wake of an Upper House election campaign that had a heavy focus on immigration issues. The share was more than double the figure in Nihei’s 2022 survey.

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