Japan prefecture's survey on foreign hires deemed discriminatory by panel

TSU, Japan - A survey asking residents of a central Japan prefecture about whether the local government should continue hiring foreign nationals has been judged "discriminatory" by an advisory panel, a source with knowledge of the matter said Friday.

The survey targeting around 10,000 residents in Mie Prefecture but excluding foreigners living there came after Gov. Katsuyuki Ichimi said the prefecture would begin considering reinstating a Japanese citizenship requirement for its employees to prevent information leaks abroad.