Situating Migrants in Contemporary Japan: from Public Spaces to Personal Experiences Milena Urszula Janiec Grygo University of South Florida, [email protected]
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University of South Florida Scholar Commons Graduate Theses and Dissertations Graduate School 7-7-2016 Situating Migrants in Contemporary Japan: From Public Spaces to Personal Experiences Milena Urszula Janiec Grygo University of South Florida, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd Part of the Geography Commons Scholar Commons Citation Janiec Grygo, Milena Urszula, "Situating Migrants in Contemporary Japan: From Public Spaces to Personal Experiences" (2016). Graduate Theses and Dissertations. http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/6267 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at Scholar Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Scholar Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Situating Migrants in Contemporary Japan: From Public Spaces to Personal Experiences by Milena Urszula Janiec-Grygo A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy School of Geosciences College of Arts & Sciences University of South Florida Co-Major Professor: Pratyusha Basu, Ph.D. Co-Major Professor: Martin Bosman, Ph.D. Jayajit Chakraborty, Ph.D. Joni Downs, Ph.D. Ruiliang Pu, Ph.D. Ella Schmidt, Ph.D. Date of Approval: June 17, 2016 Keywords: globalization, intersectionality, migrant workers, rural and urban places, safety, Tokyo Copyright © 2016, Milena Urszula Janiec-Grygo Acknowledgments This research would have not materialized without help from faculty members, participants, as well as family and friends. I would like to convey my gratitude to my professors who have contributed to the completion of this dissertation. I am grateful to Dr. Martin Bosman for his meaningful discussions regarding economic geography and sharing his advice on doing research in Japan. Dr. Jayajit Chakraborty’s class benefited my understanding of issues related to environmental justice. In addition, I would like to thank Dr. Joni Downs for her lectures on geographic information sciences. I appreciate Dr. Ruiliang Pu’s advice pertaining to research methods. Dr. Ella Schmidt contributed to my considerations of issues related to migration processes. In particular, I would like to acknowledge Dr. Pratyusha Basu for the trust and support she has given me through the process of research planning, fieldwork, and writing of this dissertation. Dr. Basu has always presented sincere interest in my study and provided me with vast sources of reading materials, as well as countless discussions concerning post-structural theory, urban –rural intersections, economy and migration. My journey through this research process would not have been the same without the intellectual challenge and valuable critique offered by her. Additionally, I would like to thank Dr. Naoki Oshiro, Dr. Yoko Yoshida, and Dr. Keichi Kumagai for discussions related to urbanization, migration and the construction of social identities in the context of Japan. I am grateful for their continuous support of my research. My study would not be realized without help from Dr. Orie Sekimura – thank you for your help, field trips, friendship and hospitability. I am immensely obliged to all my participants who decided to share their stories with me. Without their assistance and time that they have given me, this research would have not be completed. It was a pleasure to have met you all – I will always cherish your support. Moreover, I would like to thank Ms. Rie Onodera and Mr. Fabio Sakurai for help with the interviews, the collection of survey data, and support throughout my stay in Japan. I will always be grateful for abetting this inquiry and for being wonderful friends. In addition, I am thankful to Mr. Jesus Flores and Mr. Keita Sakamoto for reviewing the study’s questionnaires. Furthermore, I appreciate Mr. Ippei Torii, Ms. Yukiko Omagari and Mr. Satoshi Murayama for introducing me to the organizations helping migrants in Japan and for always keeping me fully committed to my research. Your support was crucial to this study - thank you for thoughtful conversations, kindness, and generosity. As well, I thank Mr. Kai Chen and Ms. Junko Tomimoto for their help. My husband, Michael Fonderson, has provided tremendous moral and material support during my research study in Japan and writing of this dissertation. He has always reminded me to maintain my dedication to this study. Thank you for your love and care. I would like to express my gratitude to my mother-in-law, Dr. Josephine Lairap for reading with me until morning hours and excellent discussions on writings of Michel Foucault. Also, I would like to thank my father, Piotr Janiec for challenging debates, love, support, and encouragement. Moreover, I appreciate my brother, Milosz Janiec and my grandparents, Bozena and Stefan Kulik for their continuous interest in my research. Table of Contents List of Tables iv List of Figures vi Abstract viii Chapter One: Introduction 1 Research Questions and Research Methods 3 Fieldwork Sites 12 Research Contributions 14 Outline of Dissertation 17 Chapter Two: Migration and Identity Studies: Selected Theories and Empirical Evidence from Japan 20 Migration as Process 22 Economic Structures 22 Migrants as Workers 23 Assimilation Theories, Social Ties, and Social Capital 25 Spaces of Migration and Ties to Places 30 Migration as Identities 33 Intersectionality 33 Theories of Gender 35 Theories of Race 38 Postcolonial and Neocolonial Critiques 39 Studies of Migration and Identities in Japan 43 Migrants in Japan’s Economic Development 44 Migrants’ Assimilation and Social Ties in Japan 45 Migrants by National Origin in Japan 47 Gender and Work in Japan 53 Conclusion 55 Chapter Three: Migration as Economic Growth Strategy: Sustaining the Growth Machine 59 Global City and the Growth Machine 64 The Rise of the Growth Machine 65 Tokyo and Urban Renaissance Policy 67 Gentrification 72 Declining Population: Limits to the Growth Machine 73 i Hollowed Towns 75 Migrant Urban – Rural Communities and Tourist Growth Machine 78 Conclusion 83 Chapter Four: Migrant Support and Advocacy Organizations in Japan 85 Positionality of Entering the Field 87 Migrant Support Association Conference 91 Ethnographic Experience: Accompanying Activist from Migrant Organization 106 Conclusion 108 Chapter Five: Employment and Recruitment in Advertisements 111 Employment and Visa Programs in Japan 113 Permission for Provisional Stay: Applicants for the Refugee Status 115 Language Schools 117 Brokers, JITCO, and Bilateral Treaties 118 Long Term Resident and Permanent Resident Visas: Family Members of Japanese Nationals 120 Narratives of Migrant Organizations and Migrants on Labor Inequalities 122 Migrant Workers’ Perspectives 124 Recruitment in Advertisements – Evident and Hidden Division of Labor 128 Textual and Content Analysis 129 Access to Job Classifieds 131 Considering Social Categories in Job Advertisements 134 Work Incentives and Requirements 154 Language 162 Space in advertisements 166 Labor Brokers 171 Conclusion 181 Chapter Six: Rural and Urban Experiences of Living 184 Interviewing Methods 184 Rural and Urban Categories 187 Positionality: Imagining Rural and Urban Spaces 192 This Is Not Cho Inaka [超 田舎 – Real Countryside] 194 Cognitive Mapping of the Daily Routines 196 Transportation – There is an App for That 207 Urban - Rural Intersectionalities 209 Conclusion 213 Chapter Seven: Experiences of Safety 216 Positionality: Safety 216 Stop and Frisk 218 Migrant Narratives on Crime and Safety 224 Viewing Fujisan: Agency, Organized, Small Forms of Resistance 233 Migrants and Work Safety 240 ii Everyday Living in an Earthquake Zone 244 Matsuri [Festival 祭り] 250 Experience of Migration: Looking to go Back or to Stay 259 Conclusion 265 Chapter Eight: Concluding Discussion 269 References 281 Appendices 298 Appendix A: Table of Participants: Migrant Workers 298 Appendix B: Table of Participants: NGO Workers 302 Appendix C: Table of Participants: Government Officials 303 Appendix D: Table of Participants: Employers 304 Appendix E: Table of Participants: Japanese Workers 305 Appendix F: Map: Participants’ Countries of Origin 306 Appendix G: Table: The Number of Foreign Registered Residents by Prefecture 307 Appendix H: Map: Foreign Registered Residents by Prefecture 308 Appendix I: USF Fair Use Worksheet: Acha Fácil. 2014. Edition 147 309 Appendix J: USF Fair Use Worksheet: Alternativa. 2014. Edition 335. 311 Appendix K: USF Fair Use Worksheet: Ikebukuro Ward. n.d. 池袋駅北口周辺中国 [Ikebukuro Station North Entrance near Chinese Neighborhood] Map. 313 Appendix L: USF Fair Use Worksheet: Mercado Latino. 2015. Edition 220 315 Appendix M: USF Fair Use Worksheet: Oizumi Town. n.d. 西小泉駅周辺拡大図 [Nishi Koizumi Station Enlarged View] Map 317 Appendix N: IRB#: Pro00017226 319 iii List of Tables Table 1 Migrant Participant’s Country of Origin and Gender 8 Table 2 Migrant Participant’s Marital Status 9 Table 3 Migrant Participant’s Employment 10 Table 4 Foreign Residents by Region and Gender (2014) 50 Table 5 Foreigners Who Entered Japan in 2014, By Region 52 Table 6 NGOs’ Participants’ Characteristics 96 Table 7 Scale of Organization’s Operations 98 Table 8 Organization’s Tasks and Goals 99 Table 9 Descriptive Statistics: Word Count for Alternativa, Acha Fácil, and Mercado Latino’s Job Advertisements 132 Table 10 Presence of Gendered Wording in Advertisements 134 Table 11 Income Range 137 Table 12 Age Requirement 152 Table 13 Skype, Email, Webpage,