WPS4203 Public Disclosure Authorized Latin Americans of Japanese Origin (Nikkeijin) Working in Japan – A Survey Public Disclosure Authorized Junichi Goto Kobe University Research Institute for Economics and Business Administration Kobe University Public Disclosure Authorized Rokkodai-cho Nada-ku, Kobe 657-8501, Japan (phone) 81-70-803-7000 (fax) 81-78-803-7059 (e-mail)
[email protected] World Bank Policy Research Working Paper 4203, April 2007 The Policy Research Working Paper Series disseminates the findings of work in progress to encourage the exchange of ideas about development issues. An objective of the series is to get the findings out quickly, even if the presentations are less than fully polished. The papers carry the names of the authors and should Public Disclosure Authorized be cited accordingly. The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this paper are entirely those of the authors. They do not necessarily represent the view of the World Bank, its Executive Directors, or the countries they represent. Policy Research Working Papers are available online at http://econ.worldbank.org. Abstract Since the revision of the Japanese immigration law in 1990, there has been a dramatic influx of Latin Americans, mostly Brazilians, of Japanese origin (Nikkeijin) working in Japan. This is mainly because the revision has basically allowed Nikkeijin to enter Japan legally even as unskilled workers, while the Japanese law, in principle, prohibits foreigners from taking unskilled jobs in the country. In response, the number of these Latin American migrants has increased from practically zero to more than 250,000. The migration of Nikkeijin is likely to have a significant impact on both the Brazilian and the Japanese economies, given the substantial amount of remittances they send to Brazil.