Migrant Workers In Contemporary Japan

Komai (sociology, Institute of Social Sciences, U. of Tsukuba, Japan) draws on recent research to review the contemporary situation of foreign migrants in Japan and to set forth policy recommendations. First published in 1999 by Akashi Shoten, Tokyo. Distributed by ISBS. c. Book News Inc.

With a focus on Brazilian migrant workers in Japan, this study produces a comprehensive picture of the forces driving transnational labor migration, both in the countries of origin of foreign workers and within Japan. How are Japan's labor institutions changing under globalization? What are the implications of these changes for the lives of people in Japan? Asking these and other questions, the book demonstrates how Japan's labor shortage has established a 'trans-national employment system' and shows that globalization is 'the very cause of the breaking up of Japan as a middle class society.' It also discusses the impact of concepts of nationality and family registration on the lives of foreign-born workers of Japanese descent within Japan. *** "Migrant Workers in Contemporary Japan has much to contribute to the study of transnational labour migration to Japan. Of particular importance are Tanno's efforts to combine various original sources in order to generate a more comprehensive and empirically grounded analysis for understanding the transnational employment system under conditions of globalization. ...an important resource for researchers, activists and policy makers who are interested in global labour migration and the politics of contemporary Japan." - Pacific Affairs, Vol. 88, No. 2, June 2015 (Series: Japanese Society) [Subject: Sociology, Asian Studies, Japanese Studies, Brazilian Studies, Migration Studies, Labor Studies, Globalization]

First Published in 1995. The issue of foreign workers in Japan has already reached a turning point, as they are quickly changing from a flow into a group of settled residents. This change has been accompanied by a great deal of research in Japan, but there have been precious few attempts to grasp the problem in a unified manner, and this book, based on the author’s own field research, represents such an attempt.

This book explores the impact of foreign migrant workers on elements of sovereign power in Japan and examines how the country's immigration control has been reshaped by the existence of these workers. It traces the changing situation of foreign migrant workers in Japan from the mid 1980s to the present day. A particular focus is the transition of these workers from 'temporary workers' to 'long-term stayers' or 'social beings'.

In the second half of the 1980s Japan has emerged as one of the new major destination countries for migrants from Asia. The migrant labour pool was then joined by Japanese descendants from South American countries in the 1990s. Japan's policy of keeping the labour market closed to foreign unskilled workers has remained unchanged despite the 1990 immigration policy reform, which met the growing need for unskilled labour not by opening the 'front-door' to unskilled workers but by letting them in through intentionally-provided 'side-doors'. This book throws light on various aspects of migration flows to Japan and the present status of migrant workers as conditioned by Japan's immigration control system. The analysis aims to explore how the massive arrival of migrants affected Japan's immigration policy and how the policy segmented the foreign labour market in Japan.

Japan and Global Migration brings together current research on foreign workers and households from a variety of different perspectives. This influx has had a substantial impact on Japan's economic, social and political landscape. The book asks three major questions: whether the recent wave of migration constitutes a new multicultural age challenging Japan's identity as homogenous society; how foreign workers confront the many difficulties living in Japan; how Japanese society is both resisting and accommodating the growing presence of foreign workers in their communities. This book contains the most up to date, original data on Japanese migrant culture available. Its inescapable conclusion is that the multicultural age has finally come to Japan; the question is whether foreign workers will be legally and socially assimilated into the fabric of Japanese society or will continue to be treated as temporary entrants with limited civil rights. The book is written with postgraduate students in Asian studies, Japanese studies, political science, sociology, anthropology and migration studies, in mind.

In the second half of the 1980s Japan has emerged as one of the new major destination countries for migrants from Asia. The migrant labour pool was then joined by Japanese descendants from South American countries in the 1990s. Japan's policy of keeping the labour market closed to foreign unskilled workers has remained unchanged despite the 1990 immigration policy reform, which met the growing need for unskilled labour not by opening the 'front-door' to unskilled workers but by letting them in through intentionally-provided 'side-doors'. This book throws light on various aspects of migration flows to Japan and the present status of migrant workers as conditioned by Japan's immigration control system. The analysis aims to explore how the massive arrival of migrants affected Japan's immigration policy and how the policy segmented the foreign labour market in Japan.

Since the mid-1980s, Japan has become one of the major destinations for foreign migrant workers. Despite the recession, the number of overstayers has remained constant. This book explores the emergence of the social, economic, and political influences exerted by foreign migrants on Japanese society in the 1990s.