Japanese politicians see AI as a way to reduce immigration

A Japanese political party led by a former artificial intelligence (AI) engineer says the technology could replace foreign workers, but warns it may also lead to white-collar workers losing their jobs.

Team Mirai, founded in May 2025, won 11 seats in Japan’s House of Representatives election in early 2026.

The party’s leader, Takahiro Anno, is an ex-AI engineer and science fiction writer who envisions using AI to fundamentally change Japanese society, The Japan Times reports.

Team Mirai supports attracting more highly-skilled foreign personnel while strengthening entry restrictions. Moreover, it aims to reduce the country’s dependence on low-wage foreign workers, including with the help of AI.

Anti-immigrant sentiment has been on the rise in Japan, as the country has seen a rapid increase in its foreign-born population, as well as the number of children born to non-Japanese couples.

The political party, however, didn’t name specific sectors or industries where AI could soon replace foreign workers, but warned that adoption of the latest AI technologies could also force white-collar workers out of their current jobs.

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This comes amid mounting concerns about AI’s impact on jobs, although data hasn’t yet shown a major disruption in the workforce. Experts say some companies blame layoffs on AI to mask their business failures and please investors.

Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Israeli writer Yuval Noah Harari predicted that AI will plunge nations into identity and immigration crises, comparing the technology to immigrants.

Harari said, “Those who are concerned about human immigrants usually argue that immigrants might take jobs, might change the local culture, might be politically disloyal. I'm not sure that’s true of all human immigrants, but it will definitely be true of AI immigrants.”

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