"Exclusive rhetoric that was once considered taboo has now entered the political mainstream, becoming the primary driver of this public discourse,” she said.
The second factor was Japanese society reaching a tipping point on foreigners, with a record 3.95 million non-Japanese taking up residence and causing friction with their neighbours by not always following social customs or norms. That was exacerbated by deepening resentment at the more than 40 million foreign tourists who arrived over the course of the year.