Amid Miyagi’s upcoming gubernatorial race, candidates discuss policies affecting foreigners as anti-globalisation sentiment grows. The report highlights a fish processing company in Ishinomaki's Ogatsu area that began employing Myanmar workers to address labor shortages, with five trainees currently doing processing and packing work and sending remittances home. Miyagi Labour Bureau data show about 19,554 foreigners working in the prefecture as of October 2024, up about 3.7 times from ten years earlier. The company president says such workers are indispensable for local business, while scholars urge voters to understand both economic and cultural reasons for accepting foreign workers rather than simply endorsing or opposing them.