Sri Lanka, July 15 -- Japan on Tuesday (Jul 15) set up an administrative body aimed at easing citizens' concerns over the rapid rise in the number of foreigners in recent years, as policies concerning non-Japanese residents emerge as a key issue in Sunday's national election.

The body would serve as a cross-agency "control tower" to respond to issues such as crime and overtourism involving foreigners, the government said.

Japan has long sought to maintain a homogeneous population through strict immigration laws, but has gradually eased them to supplement its shrinking and ageing labour force. The number of foreign nationals hit a record of about 3.8 million last year, although that is still just 3 per cent of the total population.

The ...