The rise of anti-immigration sentiment in Australia and Japan

Lately I've been feeling pretty uneasy about the rise of anti-immigration talk, both back home in Australia and here in Japan. After the recent horrific Bondi shooting, a lot of the conversation online (never a good idea to read comments...) has unfortunately shifted toward blaming immigrants. The irony for Australia is that unless you're a First Nations individual, you're an immigrant, and immigrants have done so much to enrich the country and make it a better place to live. As so often seems to occur, tragedy becomes an excuse for prejudice.

I've noticed that here in Japan, this kind of divisiveness seems to show up more and more as well. I see conversations online about foreign workers, tourists, or people moving to Japan, and comments about foreigners "changing the culture" or being the cause of problems catch my attention more than I would like. It's worrying to realize that even in the absence of a major incident here, fear still influences the way people think about perceived outsiders.

What frustrates me most, I think, is how quickly complex issues are flattened into blame.  Pointing fingers might feel satisfying to some people in the moment, but it solves nothing and only deepens divides.