When looking at the number of muslim residents South Korea has an estimated 100 000 foreign citizen muslims out of a total population of…
When looking at the number of muslim residents South Korea has an estimated 100 000 foreign citizen muslims out of a total population of 52 000 000, this has resulted in a strong South Korean identity and culture and social cohesion is at its highest levels in the first world countries. Japan is in a very similar position however Japan does not have the Christian population that South Korea has as the estimated Christian population is at 28 percent according to a November 2020 poll by Hankook Research 20 percent are Protestants, and 8 percent are Catholics. In many ways South Koreans have strong western influence and values and are an ally of the US and are considered technologically sophisticated also South Koreans enjoy excellent reputation globally as reflected by having one of the highest visa free travel scores.
Japan manages to remain a country almost without a Muslim presence or influence simply because of Japan’s negative attitude toward Islam and Muslims pervades every level of the population, from the man in the street to organizations and companies to senior officials. In Japan, contrary to the situation in other countries, there are no “human rights” organizations to offer support to Muslims’ claims against the government’s position. In Japan no one is illegally smuggling Muslims into the country to earn a few yen, and almost no one gives them the legal support they would need in order to get permits for temporary or permanent residency or citizenship.
Another thing that helps the Japanese keep Muslim immigration to their shores to a minimum is the Japanese attitude toward the employee and employment. Migrant workers are perceived negatively in Japan, because they take the place of Japanese workers. A Japanese employer feels obligated to employ Japanese workers even if it costs much more than it would to employ foreign workers. The traditional connection between an employee and employer in Japan is much stronger than in the West, and the employer and employee feel a mutual commitment to each other: an employer feels obligated to give his employee a livelihood, and the employee feels obligated to give the employer the fruit of his labor. This situation does not encourage the acceptance of foreign workers, whose commitment to the employers is low.