DOCSLIB.ORG

Mental Well- Being of International Migrants to Japan

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Mental Well- Being of International Migrants to Japan Open access Original research BMJ Open: first published as 10.1136/bmjopen-2019-029988 on 3 November 2019. Downloaded from Mental well- being of international migrants to Japan: a systematic review Russell Miller, Yuri Tomita, Ken Ing Cherng Ong, Akira Shibanuma , Masamine Jimba To cite: Miller R, Tomita Y, ABSTRACT Strengths and limitations of this study Ong KIC, et al. Mental Background Migration is a stressful process of well- being of international resettlement and acculturation that can often negatively ► Our study is the first to comprehensively screen and migrants to Japan: a impact the mental health of migrants. International systematic review. BMJ Open synthesise available research, published both in migration to Japan, a country with dominant ethnic 2019;9:e029988. doi:10.1136/ Japanese and English, on the mental well- being of homogeneity, is growing steadily amid an ageing domestic bmjopen-2019-029988 international migrants to Japan. population and severe labour shortages. ► Key findings were extracted and thematically anal- ► Prepublication history and Objectives To identify the contemporary barriers to, ysed from relevant studies of diverse migrant popu- additional material for this and facilitators of, mental well- being among the migrant lations in Japan evidencing the role of social support paper are available online. To population in Japan. view these files, please visit networks. Design Systematic review the journal online (http:// dx. doi. ► The cross-sectional nature of the included studies Data sources PubMed, ProQuest, Web of Science, Ichushi org/ 10. 1136/ bmjopen- 2019- limits their value in terms of generalisability and and J- Stage 029988). supporting causal effects. Eligibility criteria Research articles examining the mental ► While English and Japanese databases were sur- Received 21 February 2019 well-being of international migrants in Japan that were veyed, grey literature was not comprehensively Revised 09 October 2019 published in English or Japanese between January 2000 searched. Accepted 09 October 2019 and September 2018 were included. Data extraction and synthesis Full texts of relevant articles were screened and references of the included permanently in a country where he or she was studies were hand-searched for further admissible articles. not born, and has acquired some significant Study characteristics, mental well-being facilitators 2 and barriers, as well as policy recommendations were social ties to [their] new location’. There- synthesised into categorical observations and were then fore migrants include non-indigenous people thematically analysed. who are long-term immigrants, organisa- http://bmjopen.bmj.com/ Results Fifty-five studies (23 published in English), tional expatriates, international students and surveying a total of 8649 migrants, were identified. migrant workers as well as forced migrants The most commonly studied migrant nationalities were such as asylum seekers and refugees. While Brazilian (36%), followed by Chinese (27%) and Filipino motivated by push and pull factors based on (8%). Thematic analysis of barriers to mental well- being perceptions of opportunity, international among migrants chiefly identified‘language difficulties’, migration has been well documented to be a ‘being female’ and ‘lack of social support’, whereas the stressful and multi- factorial process that can primary facilitators were ‘social networks’ followed by 2–4 adversely affect health. The ‘right to health’ on September 26, 2021 by guest. Protected copyright. ‘cultural identity’. Policy recommendations for authorities generally described more migrant support services and of migrants is enshrined in the Declaration of cross-cultural awareness among the Japanese public. Alma- Ata (1978) and states receiving coun- Conclusion Access to social support networks of various tries should take a comprehensive approach types appears to be an influential factor affecting the to healthcare of such sojourners beyond mental well-being of international migrants in Japan. basic infectious disease control.5 Accord- More research is necessary on how to promote such ingly, migration is increasingly recognised as © Author(s) (or their connections to foster a more inclusive and multicultural a structural socio-economic force that influ- employer(s)) 2019. Re- use Japanese society amid rapid demographic change. ences health outcomes as a social determi- permitted under CC BY-NC. No PROSPERO registration number CRD42018108421. nant of health, in general, and mental health, commercial re- use. See rights 6 7 and permissions. Published by in particular. BMJ. As the world’s third largest economy, Japan Community and Global Health, INTRODUCTION was home to 2.2 million international migrants University of Tokyo, Bunkyo- ku, Global migration has increased markedly in in October 2018. This figure represents about Japan recent decades and international migrants, in 2% of the national population and approxi- Correspondence to 2016, constituted 3.4% of the global popula- mately 200 000 foreign nationals were newly 1 8 Professor Masamine Jimba; tion. International migrants are considered settled during that year. While the number of mjimba@ m. u- tokyo. ac. jp to be ‘any person who lives temporarily or foreign residents settling in Japan continues Miller R, et al. BMJ Open 2019;9:e029988. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2019-029988 1 Open access BMJ Open: first published as 10.1136/bmjopen-2019-029988 on 3 November 2019. Downloaded from to accelerate, the total population of Japan is predicted Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta- Analyses to decline by 31% from a peak of 126 million in 2016 to (PRISMA) reporting guidelines.15 87 million by 2060.9 This demographic shift is a harbinger of the future as Japan is only the first nation in human Inclusion and exclusion criteria history to experience population decline due to ‘super- Study selection was purposively designed to be broad in ageing’. Other high- income nations like South Korea, order to scope the progress of research assessing a heter- Germany and Italy are on a similar demographic trajecto- ogenous health concept in an equally diverse population. ries and such changes will likely increase the proportion Migrant was defined in line with the Japanese govern- of young foreign national populations.10 However, unlike ment guidelines as a foreign national living in Japan for other high- income countries with a history of large-scale, 3 months or more.8 Study inclusion criteria were: (1) institutional health research that includes non-citizens, 11 published research assessing mental well-being among in Japan, mainly exploratory research has been conducted international migrants in Japan; (2) quantitative and/ on the health of migrants. or qualitative methodologies examining more than one Facing a serious demographic challenge, the Japa- migrant, including systematic reviews and (3) studies nese government has begun to publicly acknowledge the published in English or Japanese. Exclusion criteria were: need for more foreign workers; however, structural issues (1) conference proceedings, expert opinions, single case continue to perturb the humanistic integration of interna- reports or reviews; (2) analysis of international tourists tional migrants. For example, a 2017 survey by the Ministry and (3) studies published prior to January 2000. Mental of Justice showed that 30% of foreign residents had expe- well- being (including mental health outcomes such as rienced discrimination in Japan, with 40% having been depression, anxiety, resilience and so on) must have been rebuffed when seeking housing and 25% had been denied assessed using a standardised research method including a job due to their nationality.12 Additionally, the Migra- epidemiological surveys, interviews or medical records. tion Integration Policy Index recently highlighted strict working visa requirements and a culture of overwork and harassment in Japan leading to occupational morbidity;13 SEARCH STRATEGY such ‘push’ factors may impact the positive functioning of Electronic databases were searched for publications migrants trying to integrate into Japanese society. published between January 2000 and September 2018. The WHO defines mental health as, ‘a state of well- Studies published before 2000 were excluded in order to being where every individual can realise his or her own better reflect the demographic characteristics of contem- potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can porary migrant populations in Japan which have changed work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a dramatically over the past two decades. The following contribution to her or his community’.14 Mental well- databases were queried: PubMed, UTokyo Resource being is a dual continuum that includes mental health Explorer (UTREE; includes ProQuest, SpringerLink, http://bmjopen.bmj.com/ and positive functioning open to sociocultural inter- ScienceDirect) and Web of Science; as well as Japanese pretation and includes concepts such as contentment, databases, Igaku- chuo- zasshi (Ichushi; https:// search. absence of negative life determinants, absence of disease jamas. or. jp/) and J- STAGE (https://www. jstage. jst. go. or economic prosperity.14 jp/), each of which cite over 300 000 articles per year Japan, as a host nation, has a unique cultural and from 2500 Japanese biomedical journals. The search was linguistic context in which the mental well-being and completed in September 2018, and the English as well as
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The Response of the Japanese-Brazilian Community of São Paulo to the Triple Disaster of 2011
    Disaster, Donations, and Diaspora: The Response of the Japanese-Brazilian Community of São Paulo to the Triple Disaster of 2011 Peter Bernardi The triple disaster or 3/11, the devastating combination of earthquake, tsunami and the meltdown of reactors at the nuclear power plant Fukushima Daiichi that happened in Japan on March 11, 2011, was a globally reported catastrophe. The Japanese diasporic communities especially demonstrated their willingness to help, organize campaigns and send donations. While a commitment to restor- ing and relating to the homeland in some way confirms William Safran’s (1991: 84) initial criteria for diasporas, the study of the Japanese diasporic communi- ties’ response to 3/11 also offers insights into these communities and their status. This paper offers an analysis of the impact of 3/11 drawn from the reaction of the Japanese-Brazilian diaspora in São Paulo. Although initiatives to help Japan were started throughout Brazil, São Paulo hosts the largest and most influential nikkei community that organized the biggest campaigns. Furthermore, the ar- ticle is my attempt to relate observed connections between disaster, donations and diaspora. I had originally scheduled fieldwork on Japanese immigration for March 2011, but after arriving in Brazil on March 12, reactions to the catas- trophes of 3/11 were a constant topic in many encounters and overlapped my intended research on the nikkei community of São Paulo. Donations played an important role, and in this article I argue that help (especially financial) after 3/11 was not only about Japan but also the self-perception of the nikkei community in São Paulo.
    [Show full text]
  • Japanese Brazilians Abroad by Maxine L
    lasaforum fall 2015 : volume xlvi : issue 4 DEBATES: GLOBAL LATIN(O) AMERICANOS Dekasseguis: Japanese Brazilians Abroad by MAXINE L. MARGOLIS | University of Florida and Columbia University | [email protected] Several times a week a Tam Airlines flight The value of the nikkeijin was twofold: as business, pay for their education, buy a car, leaves from São Paulo for Tokyo’s Narita a large pool of relatively cheap, docile labor or have a comfortable retirement. While Airport. Beginning in the early 1990s each they would help solve Japan’s labor many did return to Brazil within the time 28-hour flight brought a new contingent of shortage and at the same time they would frame planned, others extended their stay dekasseguis, Brazilians of Japanese descent, not disturb what was perceived as the (Yamanaka 1996b, 1997). to Japan to seek economic opportunities in nation’s racial and social homogeneity. the land of their ancestors. The term Because most Japanese pride themselves on Over time, somewhat enhanced job dekassegui refers to Brazilian immigrants belonging to a single, cohesive ethnic opportunities also tied some nikkeijin more of Japanese descent living in Japan. It is a group, nikkeijin were preferred over other closely to Japan. In the last few years combination of the Japanese verbs “to foreign workers because it was thought several Japanese Brazilians found leave” and “to earn” and has the general that their “race,” regardless of nationality, themselves no longer limited to unskilled meaning of leaving one’s hometown to seek would allow them to absorb Japanese jobs in factories. They moved into a variety work elsewhere.
    [Show full text]
  • Is the Eurozone Turning Japanese? February 2020
    In focus Is the Eurozone turning Japanese? February 2020 Marketing material for professional investors and advisers only Contents Executive Summary 3 Introduction 4 Trend Growth Analysis 6 Population Trends and Workforce Dynamics 8 Reliance on external demand 15 Fiscal Policy 18 Monetary Policy 19 Conclusions and wider implications 21 Marketing material for professional investors and advisers only Marketing material for professional investors and advisers only In focus Is the Eurozone turning Japanese? February 2020 Executive Summary The term “Japanification” is generally used in the investment world to describe the decline of economies that appear to be following the same experience of Japan after the bursting of its asset price bubble in 1990. Decades of economic stagnation, only shortly interrupted by the boom ahead of the global financial crisis (GFC), is a phenomenon that no country Azad Zangana Piya Sachdeva Senior European Japan Economist wants to experience. Economist and Strategist Europe’s lack of growth, flirtation with deflation and negative Ȃ The balance of payments and reliance on the external economy interest rates have prompted comparisons with Japan, raising the is another similarity. While both have prominent export question of whether the Japanification of Europe is inevitable. To industries and are exporters of capital, Japan is far more avoid lazy quick comparison, this note explores the root causes reliant on net exports for growth than Europe. Europe can still and subsequent experiences of Japan through the 1990s and generate growth through domestic demand. examines the similarities and differences with the eurozone Ȃ In terms of fiscal policy, both have seen large increases in aggregate.
    [Show full text]
  • Challenge of Japanese-Peruvian Descendent Families in the XXI Century
    Challenge of Japanese-Peruvian descendent families in the XXI century, Peruvian dekasegi in Japan: Overview of Socio Economic Issues of Nikkei by LAGONES VALDEZ Pilar Jakeline DISSERTATION Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in International Development Doctor of Philosophy GRADUATE SCHOOL OF INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT NAGOYA UNIVERSITY Approved by the Dissertation Committee: Naoko SHINKAI (Chairperson) Sanae ITO Hideto NISHIMURA Tetsuo UMEMURA Approved by the GSID Committee: March 07, 2016 1 Acknowledgements First, I would like to give my gratefulness to Professor SHINKAI Naoko, my academic advisor, for her priceless academic guidance throughout my research term at the Graduate School of International Development in Nagoya University. I achieved my goals as a graduate student with her useful and professional advices. She also gave me an invaluable guidance for my social life in Japan. She encouraged and supported me warmly. I would also like to deeply thank Professor ITO Sanae and Professor NISHIMURA Hideto, who supported me with valuable comments. I would like to appreciate Professor FRANCIS Peddie for important comments in my dissertation. I also thank to all my seminar members, who helped me with their experience and knowledge. In Japan, they became my family members. I felt so happy to meet them in my life. I appreciate the Peruvian Consul in Japan, who gave me the permission to do my interview survey to Peruvian Nikkei. I also thank to the Peruvian Nikkei community, they permitted me to enter their home to observe and interview with questions regarding to my research during my field work.
    [Show full text]
  • Brazilian Immigrants in Japan and the Question of Identity Bulletin of Portuguese - Japanese Studies, Núm
    Bulletin of Portuguese - Japanese Studies ISSN: 0874-8438 [email protected] Universidade Nova de Lisboa Portugal Massae Sasaki, Elisa Dekasseguis. Japanese - Brazilian Immigrants in Japan and the Question of Identity Bulletin of Portuguese - Japanese Studies, núm. 4, june, 2002, pp. 111 - 141 Universidade Nova de Lisboa Lisboa, Portugal Available in: http://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=36100406 How to cite Complete issue Scientific Information System More information about this article Network of Scientific Journals from Latin America, the Caribbean, Spain and Portugal Journal's homepage in redalyc.org Non-profit academic project, developed under the open access initiative BPJS, 2002, 4, 111 - 141 DEKASSEGUIS Japanese - Brazilian Immigrants in Japan and the Question of Identity Elisa Massae Sasaki 1 Capinas State University, Brazil Introduction We have been hearing of the so called “Dekassegui Movement” from the mid 1980’s onwards. The Dekasseguis are Latin Americans, amongst whom one finds many Brazilians, the descendants of Japanese who migrated to Brazil, who go to Japan as migrant workers and supply the manpower for jobs that require unskilled labour. If we could take a “photograph” of the graph of the movement of this segment of the population, at various stages along the course of its history, we would observe widely differing scenarios. The characteristics of this phenomenon have changed throughout the migra- tory process and will, undoubtedly, continue to evolve and present us with different facets, according to the manner in which the Japanese-Brazilians resi- dent in Japan establish and develop their different social relations. It is in this context that one deconstructs and reconstructs the identity of the Nikkei, i.e.
    [Show full text]
  • Embracing Immigration: Contemporary Japanese College Students Perceptions of Foreign Labor in Japan Kristin M
    Seton Hall University eRepository @ Seton Hall Theses Summer 5-2012 Embracing Immigration: Contemporary Japanese College Students Perceptions of Foreign Labor in Japan Kristin M. Wingate Seton Hall University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarship.shu.edu/theses Part of the Asian Studies Commons Recommended Citation Wingate, Kristin M., "Embracing Immigration: Contemporary Japanese College Students Perceptions of Foreign Labor in Japan" (2012). Theses. 231. https://scholarship.shu.edu/theses/231 EMBRACING IMMIGRATION: CONTEMPORARY JAPANESE COLLEGE STUDENTS' PERCEPTIONS OF FOREIGN LABOR IN JAPAN BY KRISTIN WINGATE B.A., FAIRFIELD UNIVERSITY FAIRFIELD, CONNECTICUT 2010 A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS IN THE ASIAN STUDIES PROGRAM OF THE DEPARTMENT OF LANGUAGES, LITERATURES, AND CULTURES AT SETON HALL UNIVERSITY SOUTH ORANGE, NEW JERSEY 2012 EMBRACING IMMIGRATION: CONTEMPORARY JAPANESE COLLEGE STUDENTS' PERCEPTION OF FOREIGN LABOR IN JAPAN THESIS TITLE BY KRISTIN WINGATE APPROVED BY DATE SHIGE OSUKA, Ed. D. MENTOR (FIRST READER) EDWIN PAK-WAH LEUNG, Ph.D. EXAMINER (SECOND READER) ~~ DEBORAH BROWN, Ph.D. II) ) o<tJ/~ EXAMINER (THIRD READER) ~ IUuAlut ~ ANNE MULLEN-HOHL, Ph.D. HEAD OF DEPARTMENT THIS THESIS IS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS IN THE ASIAN STUDIES PROGRAM OF THE DEPARTMENT OF LANGUAGES, LITERATURES, AND CULTURES AT SETON HALL UNIVERSITY, SOUTH ORANGE, NEW JERSEY. CONTENTS Acknowledgements....................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • 1 Paul Krugman: Meeting with Japanese Officials, 22/3/16
    Paul Krugman: Meeting with Japanese officials, 22/3/16 (Moderator) Now we would like to start the third analysis meeting on international finance and economy, inviting Professor Paul Krugman of the City University of New York. Prime Minister, please the floor is yours. (PM Abe) This is the third meeting of the analysis meeting on international finance and economy. Allow me to provide my greeting. Now, a Nobel Laureate and the former member of the Presidential Council on economic advisers, we have invited Professor Paul Krugman of the City University of New York. Thank you very much for coming to this meeting. Professor Krugman hitherto on the subject of the economics, you have provided various suggestions and proposals. In this meeting, we would like to hear your view on the analysis of the world’s economy, at the same time, since the start of the administration we have introduced the policy on three arrows. And also, we have come up with new three arrows in the face of the aging society with low fertility. In May of this year, we are going to be the host of the G7 Summit at Ise-Shima looking toward the forceful growth of the world economy. We would like to transmit and communicate a strong message. This meeting would be a forum which will prepare grounds for the Ise-Shima summit in May of this year. Thank you very much. (Moderator) Thank you very much, Prime Minister. Professor Krugman, the floor is yours. Your initial remarks, please. (Prof. Krugman) I believe I should just say a few words before we close the meeting, just to basically be thankful of the honor of being asked to address this group and to speak about these issues.
    [Show full text]
  • Concentrated Ethnic Towns
    Japanese Journal of Human Geography 65―6（2013） “Concentrated Ethnic Towns” and “Dispersed/ Assimilated Ethnic Towns” : Regional Disparities in the Formation and Development of Ethnic Towns ― Case Studies of Brazilian Residents in Japan KATAOKA Hiromi Kinki Univercity Abstract This paper examines the founding and development of two Brazilian ethnic towns in Japan following the 1990 amendment to the Immigration Act. The structures of these towns fall into two patterns. The first is the “concentrated ethnic town,” which comprises a dense cluster of ethnic businesses, making its ethnic character highly visible. The second is the “dispersed/ assimilated ethnic town,” one whose ethnic nature is not evident. The factors that generate these variations include town scales, the locations of ethnic shops within business clusters, the division of social capital among entrepreneurs or between them and their host societies, and shop locations in relation to ethnic residential areas. Key words : ethnic town, ethnic business, Brazilian residents, Hamamatsu City, Oizumi Town I Introduction When we hear the words “ethnic town,” we tend to think of an area within a district characterized by a large ethnic minority population and possessing a high concentration of businesses developed by members of that ethnic group. In Japan, however, even in areas with a large ethnic minority population, there are no such large-scale clusters of ethnic businesses. In other words, ethnic neighborhoods in Japan lack the elements of a “typical” ethnic town. “Ethnic towns” are not simply neighborhoods housing a high concentration of ethnic minority residents or a cluster of ethnic businesses. Rather, they are places hugely influenced by a range of variables relating to the particular ethnic group and undergo changes in their landscape accordingly.
    [Show full text]
  • The Global and the Local in Karen Tei Yamashita's Through the Arc of The
    Cláudio Roberto Vieira Braga Unstable Boundaries: the Global and the Local in Karen Tei Yamashita’s Through the Arc of the Rain Forest Faculdade de Letras Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais 2006 Braga 2 Unstable Boundaries: the Global and the Local in Karen Tei Yamashita’s Through the Arc of the Rain Forest By Cláudio Roberto Vieira Braga Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Mestre em Letras: Estudos Literários, Área de Concentração Literaturas de Língua Inglesa Thesis Adviser Prof. Dra. Gláucia Renate Gonçalves Belo Horizonte Faculdade de Letras da UFMG 2006 Braga 3 Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais Faculdade de Letras This is to certify that the thesis presented by Cláudio Roberto Vieira Braga, entitled “Unstable Boundaries: the Global and the Local in Karen Tei Yamashita’s Through the Arc of the Rain Forest”, complies with the University regulations and that it meets the accepted standards of this Faculty with respect to style and content for the degree of “Mestre em Letras: Estudos Literários, Área de Concentração Literaturas de Língua Inglesa”. Signed by the final examining committee _______________________________________ Profa. Dra. Gláucia Renate Gonçalves. Thesis Adviser ______________________________________________ Profa. Dra. Cristina Maria Stevens. ______________________________________________ Profa. Dra. Eliana Lourenço de Lima Reis. And by ______________________________________________ Profa. Dra. Ana Maria Clark Peres. Coordenadora do Programa de Pós-Graduação em Letras: Estudos Literários da FALE-UFMG Braga 4 I dedicate this work to the man who taught me how to read when I was 5 years-old, my father Altino Ramalho Braga. Braga 5 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS To my Professor, adviser, and friend Gláucia Renate Gonçalves, whose steps I would like to follow in my career, and become an outstanding professor just like she is.
    [Show full text]
  • Japanese-Brazilian Return Migration: Pushes, Pulls, and Prospects Stephanie N
    Macalester College DigitalCommons@Macalester College Sociology Honors Projects Sociology Department April 2007 Japanese-Brazilian Return Migration: Pushes, Pulls, and Prospects Stephanie N. Phillips Macalester College, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.macalester.edu/soci_honors Recommended Citation Phillips, Stephanie N., "Japanese-Brazilian Return Migration: Pushes, Pulls, and Prospects" (2007). Sociology Honors Projects. Paper 6. http://digitalcommons.macalester.edu/soci_honors/6 This Honors Project is brought to you for free and open access by the Sociology Department at DigitalCommons@Macalester College. It has been accepted for inclusion in Sociology Honors Projects by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@Macalester College. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Japanese-Brazilian Return Migration: Pushes, Pulls, and Prospects by Stephanie N. Phillips Senior Honors Thesis Department of Sociology Macalester College Fall 2006 Abstract Japan’s economic situation and need for foreign labor present challenges when attracting and incorporating an influx of newcomers, which in turn poses questions relevant to previously established theories of migration. By examining public policies and the experiences of Japanese- Brazilians or Brazilian nikkeijin—migrants of Japanese descendants born in Brazil—I argue that Japan’s immigration policy is a key determinant in their migration to Japan and, subsequently, that this policy plays an integral role in shaping
    [Show full text]
  • Brazilian Migration to Japan Trends, Modalities and Impact*
    UN/POP/EGM-MIG/2005/11 27 February 2006 EXPERT GROUP MEETING ON INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION AND DEVELOPMENT IN LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN Population Division Department of Economic and Social Affairs United Nations Secretariat Mexico City, 30 November – 2 December 2005 BRAZILIAN MIGRATION TO JAPAN TRENDS, MODALITIES AND IMPACT* Naoto HIGUCHI** ____________ * The views expressed in the paper do not imply the expression of any opinion on the part of the United Nations Secretariat. ** All direct correspondence to Naoto Higuchi (Department of Social Science, University of Tokushima, 1-1 Minami Josanjima, Tokushima, 7708502 Japan. E-mail: [email protected]). A. INTRODUCTION About twenty years have passed since Japan entered the “age of migration” by the influx of Asian and Latin American migrant workers. Though the number of migrants is still much smaller than that of North American and West European countries, all the attention was focused on the ‘foreigners’ problem. Since then, the number of Latin American migrants has steadily increased, while the number of visa overstayers began to decrease in 1994 (Table 1 & 2). Brazilians are now the third largest group next to Koreans and Chinese.1 The most salient features of Latin Americans in Japan are as follows: (1) Most are descendants of Japanese immigrants or their spouses. Though the overwhelming majority left for Brazil, Japanese also emigrated to Peru, Argentina, Bolivia and Paraguay by the early 1970s. But now, a considerable proportion of Japanese Latin Americans live in Japan (Table 3). They are granted a privileged status of residence as descendants of Japanese. As a result, the great majority of Latin Americans in Japan are documented.
    [Show full text]
  • The Japanese-Brazilian Community in Japan and the "Brazilian Diaspora" in the World
    The Japanese-Brazilian community in Japan and the "Brazilian diaspora" in the world Angelo Ishi (Professor, Faculty of Sociology, Musashi University) Profile: Member of the Board of Nihon Imin Gakkai (The Japanese Association for Migration Studies); Member of the first Conselho de Representantes Brasileiros no Exterior (Council of Representatives of Brazilians Abroad); Member of the Board of Kaigai Nikkeijin Kyokai (The Association of Nikkei and Japanese Abroad). Papers published in the following books: Global Japan: The Experience of Japan’s New Immigrants and Overseas Communities (Routledge Curzon), Searching for Home Abroad: Japanese-Brazilians and Transnationalism (Duke University Press) and Transcultural Japan: At the borderlands of race, gender, and identity (Routledge Curzon). Abstract This presentation aims at: 1) Summarize the 20 years history of the so-called “Dekassegui” phenomenon, i.e., the migration of Nikkeijin from Brazil to Japan; and 2) Analyze these migrants from a new perspective: not only as “return migrants” in the Brazilian-Japanese route, but as members of the rising “Brazilian diaspora” allover the world. The research is grounded on a long-term participant observation of the Brazilian community in Japan since the reform of the Immigration Law in 1990. I have actively “participated” in the formation of this community, as the editor-in-chief of a leading ethnic paper (in the 1990s) and as a leader of several migrants’ associations (in the 2000s). I have conducted in-depth interviews in key locations: Oizumi, Hamamatsu, Nagoya, etc. I have also made field research in several countries with a high presence of Brazilian migrants: USA, UK, Italy, Spain, Portugal and Australia.
    [Show full text]