https://japantoday.com/category/national/many-japanese-outside-major-urban-areas-do-not-engage-with-foreigners
A recent survey has shown Japanese people who reside outside the country's major cities do not regularly interact with the foreigners who live in their communities, underscoring the need for Japan to work harder on integrating society.
The online survey by a research institute at Taisho University was conducted from October to November on Japanese residents in 59 cities, towns and villages across Japan where foreigners account for 5 percent or more of the population. It did not include 23 wards in central Tokyo nor Japan's 20 designated major cities.
Of the 1,194 who gave valid responses, 83.8 percent said they do not have regular exchanges with the foreigners who live alongside them.
Among the 16.2 percent who said they do, 39.7 percent said they are colleagues with non-Japanese people, followed by 32.5 percent who said they are neighbors with them, and 21.6 percent who said they have foreign friends.
Asked whether they want a higher percentage of foreigners in their community, 54.5 percent said they do not, with many citing concerns about increased friction or deterioration of the social order.
Japan has been opening up to more foreign workers to combat the slide in its working-age and overall population. As of the end of October, the number of foreign workers in Japan stood at a record high of 2.04 million, according to the labor ministry.
Professor Yuko Tsukasaki, who led the research, said as Japan will increasingly rely on foreigners for labor, it must make itself a place where they can live comfortably and build long careers.
"We must listen properly to foreign residents and make steady efforts to bring about a harmonious society," Tsukasaki said.
© KYODO
一部自動翻訳
最近の調査では、日本の主要都市以外に住む日本人は、地域に住む外国人と定期的に交流していないことが示されており、日本が社会の統合にもっと取り組む必要性が浮き彫りになっている。
大正大学の研究機関が１０～１１月、外国人人口が５％以上の全国５９市町村で日本人を対象にインターネットで調査した。東京都心部の23区や日本の20の政令指定都市は含まれていない。
有効回答１１９４人のうち、８３・８％が「同居する外国人と定期的に交流がない」と回答した。
自分の地域社会における外国人の比率を高めることを望むかとの質問には、54.5％が望まないと回答し、多くは摩擦の増大や社会秩序の悪化への懸念を挙げた。
