Japan has worked hard to attract foreigners to boost its sluggish economy but now the perception there are too many has prompted the creation of a new task force, as competition for votes heats up ahead of Sunday’s national election.

The issue is on the political agenda ahead of the upper house election, in part because of a fringe party promoting “Japanese first” policies, in a nod to the nativist rhetoric of US President Donald Trump.

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba launched the task force – formally named the Office for the Promotion of a Society of Harmonious Coexistence with Foreign Nationals – on Tuesday, citing “crimes or nuisance behaviors committed by some foreign nationals,” as well as “inappropriate use of various” government systems.

The world’s fourth-largest economy has a long history of strict immigration policies, and a strong cultural strain of isolationism.

But with a rapidly aging population and plunging birth rates, Japan has been gradually opening up to foreign workers and seeking more international tourists.