Shuntaro Tanikawa (1931-2024), one of postwar Japan’s most influential poets, took a quiet, private delight in observing people and inventing little stories about them.

Seated at an outdoor cafe table, he would watch passers-by. In his poetry collection “Futsu no Hitobito” (Ordinary people), he wrote that he felt “a sense of kinship with each individual as a fellow human being or living creature.”

That feeling, he said, inspired him to give them names of his own creation and imagine fragments of their lives.

It was precisely because of his respect and affection for others living in the same era that he was able to write poems offering deep, compassionate reflections on people living on the other side of the globe—or even on Martians.

Tanikawa was probably not alone in casting a gentle, empathetic eye on strangers’ expressions, clothing and belongings, and imagining the lives behind them. Even those who are not poets have likely indulged in this secret pleasure.

Now, however, I cannot help but wonder what kind of society may emerge after hearing about a local government policy initiative.

Ibaraki Prefecture is reportedly establishing a system to reward citizens who report foreigners engaged in “illegal labor.” But how, exactly, are people supposed to distinguish between legal and illegal foreign workers?

The image of people eyeing others with suspicion because of the language they speak or their facial features conjures up a disturbing vision of an informant society, in which anyone deemed suspicious is reported to the authorities.

Wondering how foreign residents in the prefecture might feel about the move, I called a woman from China whom I interviewed in the past. She came to Japan as an international student about 15 years ago and now works while raising her only son.

Japan is home to a growing number of foreign residents who can barely communicate in Japanese. Some Japanese residents feel uneasy about this situation.

Because she understands both sides so well, she carries a deep and lingering pain.

“I fear it could turn into a ‘foreigner hunt,’” she said, voicing her concern in unexpectedly stark terms.

“Not causing trouble for others is what matters in Japanese society, isn’t it?”

Her detached, matter-of-fact remark stayed with me long after I hung up the phone.

A society in which neighbors look at one another with suspicion is a suffocating place for everyone.

—The Asahi Shimbun, March 15

Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.

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