From where else but the Mainichi Shimbun, July 25, 2004

Xenophobia soars as 30% hate idea of foreign workers in Japan.

Nearly 30 percent of Japanese don't want foreign workers to come into the
country to fill what is forecast to be a massive labor shortage in coming
years, a Cabinet Office survey has showed.
Rising 6 points on the previous survey results from four years ago, 29.1
percent of the 2,075 Japanese canvassed said the idea of importing foreign
labor to fill job spaces was "not good."
Anti-foreigner sentiment was also evident in respondents' answers to how
they would deal with workers overstaying their visas, with 61.8 percent
saying all those without valid permits "should be deported immediately."
Forty-five percent of respondents said they would rather put women and the
elderly to better use in the workforce than use foreigners, but added they
would accept foreign workers in case of labor shortage.

--
jonathan