The United Organization of Overseas Artist Agencies of Japan, a group of about 800 businesses that sends foreign entertainers to clubs and bars, opposes the revision. Some Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers side with the group. "Philippine shows are a popular form of entertainment that have adapted well in Japan,'' said organization chairman Joji Imai. "We don't want them to be simply labeled as a hotbed of crime.''
At a recent meeting, LDP lawmakers aiming to boost Japan's industries slammed government officials in charge of the revision. "Providing jobs to Filipinas who have no other place to work is a form of international aid,'' said one member
...Tokyo planned the revision after sending a fact-finding team to the Philippines in September. It found approval is given even to those who merely sang a song or two to karaoke music or briefly danced. "It was inappropriate to have allowed entry totally on the basis of a foreign government's approval,'' said a Tokyo official.