Immigration is shaping up to be a key policy focus for Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, with her Cabinet including a new post specifically for handling interactions with foreign residents.

Kimi Onoda, a first-time Cabinet member, was tapped for two roles: economic security minister, and ¡°minister in charge of a society of well-ordered and harmonious coexistence with foreign nationals.¡±

Onoda said she was looking to work closely with relevant government agencies to enforce stricter measures against unruly foreign residents and to revise the country¡¯s insufficient immigration policies.

¡°The current reality is that the people are feeling anxiety, dissatisfaction or a sense of unfairness due to crimes, nuisances and inappropriate use of various systems by a small number of foreign nationals,¡± Onoda said at a news conference Wednesday. ¡°While we must not fall into xenophobia, ensuring the safety and security of the public is essential for economic growth,¡± she said.

At 42, Onoda is the youngest member in Takaichi¡¯s Cabinet and one of only two women appointed as ministers. Born in Chicago, Illinois, she has an American father and a Japanese mother.

Takaichi¡¯s predecessor, former Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, had set up a similar office back in July to tackle issues regarding foreign residents, but this is the first time a minister has been appointed to lead the effort.

Issues relating to immigration took center stage during the July Upper House election, with unpaid social insurance premiums, medical expenses and land purchases by foreign residents attracting a lot of public interest.

The far-right Sanseito party was able to capitalize on that with their ¡°Japanese First¡± platform, making huge gains during the Upper House race.

The Liberal Democratic Party¡¯s new junior coalition partner, the Japan Innovation Party (JIP) ¡ª also known as Nippon Ishin no Kai ¡ª submitted a policy proposal earlier this year that called on the government to set a cap on the percentage of foreign residents that can reside in the country.

The number of foreign residents in Japan hit a record high of 3.95 million as of the end of June, a significant increase from the 2.17 million recorded 10 years ago, according to the justice ministry. As of Jan. 1, the total population of Japanese and foreign nationals in Japan was 124.3 million with foreign nationals making up 2.96%.

The recent increase was largely due to the introduction of the specified skilled worker visa in 2019, which aimed to address the country¡¯s labor shortages. The number of such visa holders hit a record high earlier this year.