D. Communities

Izumo City

How migrants are changing the face of a factory and faraway city Izumo city has a population of 170,000 or so, and resident Brazilians number around 2,000, double the figure three years ago. Most of them work at Izumo Murata Manufacturing Co., a subsidiary of Kyoto-based Murata Manufacturing Co., a leading producer of electronic components. Asahi Shimbun, 11 May 2017.

Hamamatsu

Updated: 24 Apr 2022

Foreign children slipping through the cracks of Japan's education system An NHK survey found that The study found that out of 120,000 foreign children between the ages of 6 and 14 living in Japan  about 8,400 are believed to have not attended school. This article looks at the situation of some of these children who are attending a nursery school in Hamamatsu City even though they are 6 years old or over. NHK World. 17 Apr 2019.

Japan's trial run for migrant workers This article looks at whether migrant workers could help solve an imminent labour shortage caused by Japan's population crisis. It focuses particularly on Nikkei Brazilan immigrants, who were encouraged to emigrate to Japan from the 1990s, and on Hamamatsu city in Shizuoka that has a large Nikkei Brazilian population. BBC News, 21 November, 2007.

Hamamatsu City website in Japanese with foreign language information and translations. There is also English information about Hamamatsu and Canal Hamamatsu - information in English for foreign residents

Hamamatsu City Statistics Foreign resident population in Hamamatsu city by Hamamatsu Foundation for International Communications and Exchanges(HICE).

Hamamatsu Intercultural (Tabunka Kyousei) Center

Little Brazil: Hamamatsu and the Japan-Brazil Year of Exchange 2008 "Walk through Hamamatsu and you will quickly notice that it has a rather different flavour from most other Japanese cities...Venture into Hamamatsu’s nightclubs and you will find Brazilians, Westerners and Japanese rubbing shoulders to Brazilian beats." Newsletter, Hamamatsu City.

Education Support Information for Foreign Children by Hamamatsu NPO Network Center (N-Pocket) "We made this website for foreign children be able to receive appropriate education and live in harmony in Japan. On these pages, we provide information about the difference of education system between Japan and foreign countries, senior high schools and organization which works to support the immigrants." Includes information on Japanese language classes. In Japanese here. 

Nonprofit brings together foreign, Japanese residents in Hamamatsu An article about Hamamatsu NPO Network Center, "which organizes activities to encourage foreign kids to go to school, and to foster better communication between Japanese and foreign students" and the situation in Hamamatsu. Hamamatsu's foreign population of about 30,000 people largely like in separate areas from the Japanese population, making it hard for foreign children to integrate into society and contributing to the fact that half of foreign children don't go to high school. Japan Times, 13 Mar 2010.

In Traditionally Insular Japan, A Rare Experiment in Diversity "Hamamatsu, Japan -- Five years ago, in this coastal city southwest of Tokyo, Mari Matsumoto sank her life savings into building a school for the children and grandchildren of immigrants coming to Japan. " Washington Post, October 6, 2007

Hamamatsu Foreign Resident Study Support Center. Also here. "As a city with the most Brazilian residents in Japan, the Center strives to be a place that offers general educational support for foreign residents of all ages. Acting as a base, the Center dispatches Japanese language teachers to international schools in Hamamatsu, and with the cooperation of the foreign community, conducts a number of Japanese classes throughout the area". More information here including about Japanese classes for foreign residents and Portuguese language classes for Japanese school teachers. 

TOMO2 Hamamatsu Foreign Children's Educational Support Organisation is an NPO which sends teachers of Japanese to schools in Hamamatsu to help foreign children.

Brazilian elementary school. Hamamatsu, Japan 2002 Children who's families intend to return to Brazil usually are studying at Brazilian schools. Choosing between Japanese and Brazilian education systems is one of the hardest tasks Brazilian parents face in Japan. Discover Nikkei.

Feminized Migration, Community Activism and Grassroots Transnationalization in Japan by Keiko Yamanaka In the absence of governmental policy to incorporate immigrants into the nation’s political and legal structure, Brazilian children growing up in Japan have encountered great difficulty in acquiring an adequate education. In response, a group of Brazilian mothers founded an organization, ALA Brasil, to help their children cope with study in a public school in Hamamatsu, Japan. 2003.

Helping Brazilian kids master local life Japanese-Brazilian Tetsuyoshi Kodama proudly serves as a bridge between the Japanese and Japanese-Brazilian communities in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka. Japan Times, Aug. 23, 2011.

Multicultural Coexistence in Hamamatsu City: Challenges after 2008 Economic Crisis This report looks particularly at the effect of the economic crisis on working conditions for Japanese-Brazilaians in Hamamatsu and on education for Japanese-Brazilian children. It includes a summary in Japanese

A Japanese approach to municipal diversity management: The case of Hamamatsu City An overview of Hamamatsu's policies on multiculturalism and support for foreign residents by Yasuyuki Kitawaki, who was Mayor of Hamamatsu from 1999 to 2007.

Broadcasting in a Multicultural Society: A Case Study in Hamamatsu A long article by YONEKURA Ritsu and TANI Masana which gives an overviwew of the foreign community in Hamamatsu around 2008 and looks at broadcasting by and for multicultural society in Hamamatsu. NHK Studies in Broadcasting, 2011. 

Kawaguchi

Kawaguchi City News This is the foreign language version of the Kawaguchi City Official Homepage.

Newsletter for international friendship and foreign ... - 川口市

Japan is young Kurd's only home, despite challenges of 'illegal resident' status This article tells the story of Ramazan, a young Kurdish man who came to Japan with his family of asylum seekers when he was 9 and has lived since then in Kawaguchi. He talks about the difficulties he faced as a child growing up in this situation and now as an adult who is on provisional release, and doesn't have legal residence status and so cannot work. Mainichi Shimbun, 6 Jul 2021. 

Kawaguchi city to vaccinate unregistered foreigners Unregistered foreign nationals who live in this increasingly multicultural city will be eligible for vaccinations against COVID-19, the municipal government. Asahi Shimbun, 2021.

'Neo-Chinatowns' replace Tokyo red-light districts This article looks at new China twon developing in housing estate where more than 50% of the residents are Chinese. Wall Street Journal, 2018.

Kawaguchi: A Place with a Deeper Kind of Chinatown An article about the growing Chinese community in Kawaguchi especially the new China town developing around Nishi-Kawaguchi station. Wagaya Japan, 2022.

Evening schools catering to foreign residents on the rise This report focuses on a evening junior high school in Kawaguchi as an example of the role that these school play in educating foreign residents in Japan. NHK World Japan, 22 Apr 2019.

Evening classes support foreigners This video (with text o read) looks at evening junior high schools and the role they play in educating foreign residents mainly in the Japanese language. The first half looks at a school in eastern Tokyo and the second half at one in Kawaguchi and the problems it has because of lack funding from government and the increasing number of migrants. NHK World Japan, 22 Sep, 2017

‘Little China’ replaces sleaze spot in Saitama, but gripes linger This article looks at the Chinatwon that has developied around Nishikawaguchi station, with many restaurants, replacing the older Japanese sex industry that was there. It also gives information about the Chinese and foreign populations in Kawaguchi City. Asahi Shimbun, 6 May, 2017.

Japan moves gingerly toward accepting immigrants: While local integration efforts flourish, national policies get low marks This articles looks at three examples of the integration of immigrants into local communities including Shibazono City in Kawaguchi where the public housing (danchi) has a large Chinese community. Nikkei Asian Review, 26 Mar 2017.

As I See It: Japan must fix refugee status issues before accepting more foreign workers A personal article written by Tetsuo Tokizawa about the Kurdish community in Kawaguchi. Mainichi, 2018.

Foreigners without residency status fear for their lives This article looks at the situation of Mehmet, a Kurdish boy living in Kawaguchi, who needs a heart operation but whose family have no health insurance because they are undocumented foreigners. It also looks at Saitama Cooperative Hospital in Kawaguchi which is one of two hospitals in the city that offer low cost medical care for foreigners, and which decided to provide treatment for Mehmet. NHK World, 2022. 

Banned from working, asylum seekers are building Japan's roads and sewers This article looks at the Kurdish community in Warabi and Kawaguchi, many of whom are asylum seekers on provisional release from an immigration detention centre and working with a valid visa to survive. Reuters Investigates, 8 August 2016.

Ethnic Kurds Find Haven, but No Home, in Insular Japan "Mahircan Yucel is one of about 1,300 ethnic Kurds who have settled in Kawaguchi, an industrial city north of Tokyo, and in the neighboring city of Warabi. Their plight offers a stark illustration of Japan’s approach to refugees." The New York times, 16 August 2016.

Website: クルド日本語教室 – 埼玉県川口市のクルド日本語教室について (japon-kurs.info)

川口のクルド人日本語教室 ボランティア頼み This is the first part of an article about the Japanese language and study support group for Kurdish families in Kawaguchi and Warabi. You have to pay thread the whole article. Mainichi Shimbun, 12 Jun 2017.

新型コロナ＞異国の学び場 待ち焦がれ 川口で日本語教室が再開 An article about the Japanese language support group for Kurdish people in Kawaguchi Shi and how it has responded to the coronavirus pandemic. Tokyo Shimbun, 30 May 2020.

域と生きる ～みんなが共に生きる社会とは？～ The ボランティア活動 section of this page has information about the support group for Kurdish people in Kawaguchi and includes an interview with Komuro san, who runs the group. NHK 高校講座。

Japan’s ‘Warabistan’ can become a second home to Kurdish residents: Colak Vakkas An article about the Japan Kurdish Cultural Association, with an interview with Colak Vakkas, secretary-general of the organisation that explains the history of the Kurdish community in "Warabistan" and the support the community provides for Kurds in Japan. It also emphasizes efforts to build connections with the local Japanese community, live by Japanese rules and create a positive impression of Kurds living in Japan.  Ekurd Daily, 23 Feb 2016.

Warabistan - The Kurdish limbo in Japan An overview of the situation of Kurdish asylum seekers in Japan, focusing on their marginalization. The paragraph second from the bottom discusses the situation of the children of these asylum seekers who also become marginalized.  Federico Borella, 15 Jan 2018.

Bullying of Kurdish students at Kawaguchi schools a growing problem "Incidents of bullying against Kurdish pupils living in this town, home to the largest population of Kurds in Japan, have intensified to the point that some students are staying home to avoid classmates." Mainichi Shimbun, 23 Apr 2019.

Role of an NGO in the Health Care of Foreign Residents -GENKI Activities and Perceptions of its Collaborators- "According to statistical data from the Ministry of Justice, the number of registered foreigners in Japan has been increasing every year, reaching 1,915,030 in 2003...GENKI(Global Emigrants Network in Saitama) is a non- profit NGO. It was formed in 1998 to ease difficulties foreign residents face in accessing health care services, to help reduce the high prevalence of disease in the foreigner population and to help out foreigners with needs other than health care." J. Natl. Inst. Public Health, 2005

Kawaguchi Journal; Fellow Asians, Yes, but Where's the Fellowship? An older article from 1990 looking mainly at Pakistani immigrants working in metal-working jobs in Kawaguchi and the discrimination they faced. New York Times, 1990.

Kawasaki

Updated: 24 Apr 2022

Milestone or Minor Progress? Japan’s Strongest Antihate Law Takes Effect in Kawasaki In recent years, Kawasaki has seen increasingly aggressive hate speech directed at the city’s Zainichi, or ethnic Korean, residents. Japan’s first ordinance imposing penalties for hate speech was enacted in the city in July 2020 in an effort to resolve this. Although this law gives residents greater hope to combat hate, verbal violence continues to smolder. Nippon.com, 29 Dec 2020.

Japan's 1st ordinance making hate speech punishable with fines enacted in Kawasaki "The municipal government in this eastern Japan city has from July 1 begun enforcing an unprecedented ordinance that penalizes people who repeatedly use hate speech in public spaces, with potential fines of up to 500,000 yen (about $4,655). " Mainichi, 2 Jul 2020.

Kawasaki foreign residents' panel has significant impact on city policy This article looks at the Kawasaki City Representatives Assembly for Foreign Residents, an advisory body to the mayor made up of non-Japanese residents, and the country's only foreign residents' panel established by ordinance. Residents and those involved in the assembly say it has helped reflect foreigners' needs in local administration, for example by taking on the issue of housing discrimination. The article also explain the changing foreign resident population of Kawasaki and some of the city's other measures in support of these residents. Japan Times, Jan. 3, 2006.

The Crossover between Korean Ethnic Education and Multicultural Education in Japan: Kawasaki Fureaikan and ethnic classes in Osaka "The purpose of my presentation is to examine the historical background of Korean ethnic education in Japan since the end of WWII, and the crossover between Korean ethnic education and multicultural education, especially from the 1990s onwards." Kim, Tae Eun(Ph. D. Candidate, Kyoto University, Japan).

Kawasaki's Promotion Plan for a Multicultural, Harmonious Society(Outline) "Respecting differences in nationality, race, and culture, we aim to achieve a multicul- tural, harmonious society where everyone accepts each other, human rights are respected, and everyone lives in harmony as individual citizens." Kawasaki City, April 2008.

Kawasaki City Representative Assembly for Foreign Residents Newsletter(Issue No. 37) "On April 17, 2009, Chairperson Yong-Jae CHO and Vice-Chairperson Elok HALIMAH of the Seventh Representative Assembly submitted the FY2008 Annual Report to the mayor of Kawasaki and reported on the assem- bly’s activities over the past year." Human Rights and Gender Equality Office, Citizens’ and Children’s Affairs Bureau, November 6, 2009.

Kawasaki City Representative Assembly for Foreign Residents Newsletter(Issue No. 38) "The Seventh Representative Assembly for Foreign Residents, whose term began in April 2008, has had its final meet- ing. Representing the more than 32,000 foreign residents living in Kawasaki City, the Representative Assembly conducted surveys, held deliberations, and developed proposals through its two committees..." Human Rights and Gender Equality Office, Citizens’ and Children’s Affairs Bureau, March 31, 2010.

Kawasaki’s Filipinos form support base This an article about the Kawayan Group Information Center for Filipino Women’s Community and Sari Sari Store in Kasasaki which provides language lessons, advice about public services and access computers fro Filipino women, and also sells Filipino foodstuffs. Japan Times, 20 Aug 2008.

Kalakasan Migrant Women Empowerment Centre in Kawasaki: "We support women struggling to resolve various difficulties they face such as being caught in abusive relationships, starting life again with their children after fleeing from such relationships, legalizing visa status, and addressing problems related to child recognition, rearing and education while in Japan." This organisation was set up by Mardonia Nishimoto - see above for her story.

See also: Help for abused migrant women in Japan Leny Tolentino, lay missionary at the Kalakasan Migrant Women Empowerment Centre near Tokyo, talks about how the centre helps Filipino women who are suffering physical abuse or having legal problems. Caritas, 17 July 2012.

And Living in Japan as an Immigrant Woman Coming to Japan as a Filipino-immigrant woman 23 years ago, Ms. Mardonia Nishimoto now works to support other immigrant women living in Japan. Through her own experiences, she came to tell Japanese people and Society what it is like to live in Japan as an immigrant woman.

The Crossover between Korean Ethnic Education and Multicultural Education in Japan: Kawasaki Fureaikan and ethnic classes in Osaka by Kim, Tae Eun, Kyoto University, no date. This academic article examines "the historical background of Korean ethnic education in Japan since the end of WWII, and the crossover between Korean ethnic education and multicultural education,1 especially from the 1990s onwards."

New link added 05 May 2018 Kawasaki hate speech: The rise of Japan's far right This articles discusses the Korean community and the rise of nationalist groups that attack Koreans in Kawasaki, Kawasaki's new laws to try to prevent hate speech and the issue of hate speech more generally. Aljazeera, 2 Mar 2018.

New link added 05 May 2018 Hate rally in Kawasaki called off after hundreds protest A small group known for staging xenophobic demonstrations had to abruptly change plans July 16 after its members were surrounded by hundreds of counter protesters in Kawasaki. Asahi Shimbun, 17 July, 2017.

New link added 05 May 2018 Kawasaki moves keep hate speech out of parks, public areas Kawasaki city became the first municipality in Japan to establish guidelines on preventing hate speech groups from using parks and other public facilities to spread their messages of discrimination and fear. Assahi Shimbun, 10 Nov, 2017.

New link added 05 May 2018 Interview with City of Kawasaki Mayor: Mr. Norihiko Fukuda,(December 2016) In July this year, Kawasaki Mayor Norihiko Fukuda presented a new brand message to link diversity to growth of the city. The Foreign Press Center of Japan spoke with him about issues from 'Important Values of "Diversity" and "Differences" to an increasing population, community development to benefit new industries, and tourism. 26 Dec 2016.

New link added 05 May 2018 Kawasaki City International Policy Promotion Plan DigestVersion Today, people, objects, money, information, and so on are moving across national borders at a breakneck pace. This advancement of globalization has been impacting our lives in various ways. Kawasaki City has been promoting international measures in each sector in order to respond to this flow of globalization. Going forward, as globalization increasingly accelerates and the socioeconomic situation surrounding Kawasaki City changes even more significantly ,the city intends to clarify basic approaches for its continuous development, and formulate a new plan aimed at promoting international policy in a comprehensive manner across a variety of fields.

New link added 05 May 2018 Local Foreign Suffrage in Kawasaki City: The Changing State of Voting Rights in Japan by David Green, Graduate School of Law, Nagoya University This study analyzes immigration at the national and local levels, looking at immigration and developments in local foreign suffrage in the city of Kawasaki, a notably progressive Japanese municipality. Electronic Journal of Contemporary Japanese Studies, 2013.

New link added 05 May 2018 Kawasaki Youth’s Murder Exposes Japan’s Social and Policy Failings in Coping with Immigration by Sugiyama Haru This article looks at the murder of a schoolboy in Kawasaki in which the alleged alleged assailants , other schoolboys, had foreign roots. It discssues hpow this incident has revealed problems in Japan’s capacity for adequately dealing with the issues of single-parent households, poverty, and immigration. nippon.com, 12 Jun 2015.

Kobe

NGO Network for Foreigners' Assistance KOBE (NGO神戸外国人救援ネット)

Takatori Community Center  "Takatori Comunity Center, whose predecessor 'Takatori Support Base' was the center of Takatori Catholic Church's volunteer work after the Great Hanshi-Awaji Earthquake of 1995... As time passed, the activities of the center evolved from those of providing emergency support to those of a center for groups active in multi-cultural coexistence activities."

NPO Recovery Support for Foreign Residents after the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake: A Case Study of Takatori Community Center in Kobe "This is an ongoing study investigating how the NPO Takatori Community Center has been supporting foreign residents in the community since the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake." Japan Social Innovation Journal, 2012.

World Kids Community The organization which aims at collaborating with communities of foreign resident in Japan.

Nishi Kasai (Tokyo)

Updated: 24 Apr 2022

Yogendra 'Yogi' Puranik: The first Indian voice in Tokyo politics This article is about Yogendra Puranik, known as Yogi, an Indian resident of Tokyo who has taken Japanese nationality and is now a local councillor, and has raised his son from his marriage to a Chinese woman as a single parent with the help of his own mother. It also explains the situation in Nishi Kasai, the community in Tokyo where many Indians live. Japan Times, 6 Feb 2020.

Inevitably, newcomers play growing role Community ties held fast by the Internet are drawing people from faraway India to the Nishi-kasai enclave in Edogawa Ward, Tokyo. Some 2,000 Indians in the area around the subway station, where a tenth of the entire Indian population of Japan resides, are linked in an Internet community. Japan Times, 1 Jan 2008.

Mixed results with foreign influx: Japan is changing, but system, attitudes need to keep pace Focusing on the example of the Indian community in Nishi Kasai, this article looks at the economic need for increased immigration in Japan, and the policy response to this to. It argues that Japan has not done enough to support foreign migrants in the communities wherre they live and encourage them to stay long-term. Japan Times, Jan. 16, 2007.

Tokyo’s Indians in ‘home from home’ This article looks at the development of the Indian community in Nishi Kasai. Japan Times, 22 Apr 2007.

Emerging of An Indian Community in Tokyo: A Case Study of Nishikasai looks into how "the Indian residents create the living space as ‘own space’, taking a case study of one of the well-known areas for dominant presence of Indians, Nishikasai, in Tokyo."

Indian works to serve expat enclave A profile of Jagmohan Chandrani, who is head of the Indian Community of Edogawa and who was one of the first Indian people to settle in Nishi-Kasai. Japan Times, 8 Feb 2011.

Oizumi

大泉町多文化共生コミュニティセンター (Oizumimachi Multicultural Co-existence Community Center (In Japanese and Brazilian)

Oizumi Town Official Site (in Japanese)

Oizumi, Gunma from Wikipedia

Japan Mulls Importing Foreign Workers An article that focuses on Oizumi and emphasizes problems both for the Brazilian community there and between the Brazilian population and Japanese community. Washington Post, 20 Jan, 2007.

The Brazilians winning in Japan This article looks at people of Japanese ancestry in Brazil and Japanese-Brazilians in Japan, and focuses on 'Brazil town' in Oizumi. BBC News, 17 Jul, 2015.

Brazilian schools overlooked in radiation survey An article about how the Council in Oizumi forgot to include theree Brazilan schools in a survey of radiation at schools in the city. The article suggest this is an example of how the Brazilian community there is always overlooked. Majirox News, 11 Feb, 2011.

Gunma’s ‘Brazil Town’ offers a carnival of cuisine An article about Brazilian restaurants and shops in Oizumi. Japan Times, 1 Jul, 2014.

Osaka

Osaka City News This is the foreign language version of the Osaka City Official Homepage.

The Crossover between Korean Ethnic Education and Multicultural Education in Japan: Kawasaki Fureaikan and ethnic classes in Osaka by Kim, Tae Eun, Kyoto University, no date. This academic article examines "the historical background of Korean ethnic education in Japan since the end of WWII, and the crossover between Korean ethnic education and multicultural education,1 especially from the 1990s onwards."

多文化共生センター大阪 / Osaka Multicultural Center

Korea NGO Centre A Korean community orgnaisation based in Tsuruhashi, Osaka

Ota English-immersion school opens "An English-immersion elementary school opened Wednesday in the Gunma Prefecture city of Ota, which has been authorized to operate foreign language schools under Tokyo’s deregulation initiative." Japan Times, April 7, 2005.

Ota schools turn to innovation to educate Latino children "One city is taking up the daunting challenge of enabling children of foreign workers to achieve a high level of scholastic ability in the Japanese language." Japan Times, Nov 28, 2005.

Subaru’s secret: Marginalized foreign workers power a Japanese export boom This article looks at the use of foreign migrant workers, who get paid much less than Japanese workers, by companies supplying the car-maker Subaru in Ota City, Gunma. Many of these foreign workers are asylum seekers on provisional release from immigration detention. The article looks at these workers from paragraph 16 onwards, explaining their working conditions, harsh treatment by employers and health problems. Reuters, 28 July 2015

Shinjuku

Shinjuku Ward issues daily living guide in four languages The municipal government of Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward has released the "Guide to Living in Shinjuku," a daily life manual in...English, Chinese, Korean and Japanese with furigana phonetic readings above the kanji characters for easy reading. Mainichi Daily News, April 12, 2009.

Tokyo’s Koreatown emerged from the flow of bilateral ties Koreatown in Shin Okubo, Tokyo differs from other Korean communities in Japan because it developed from the 1990s and its inhabitants are mainly newcomer Korean immigrants. This Q&A article looks at the history and development of the area and at the impact on it of recent anti-Korean demonstrations. Japan Times, May 28, 2013. 

'Koreatown,' Tokyo Sky Tree see rise in land values Part of this story discusses the increasing popularity and price of land in the Shin Okubo area of Tokyo known as 'Korean town'. Asahi Shinbun, 23 Mar 2013.

Okubo as "a Multicultural Town" by Kyojukon, a voluntary group based in Shinjuku, Tokyo. From about 2002.

Shinjuku MultiCultural Plaza しんじゅく多文化共生プラザ "is a place for Japanese and foreign residents to interact, learn, and deepen their understanding of each other’s cultures and ways of life. Classes and events are held to help people with different cultures, and to live together in their communities on a firm basis of mutual acceptance."

Asian Newcomers in Shinjuku and Ikebukuro Areas, 1988-1998: Reflections on a Decade of Research "Tokyo’s inner city areas, the home of migrants from Japan’s countryside until the 1960s, started to accept Asian immigrants, mainly from East Asia, in the late 1980s. The arrival and settlement of these newcomers have transformed these rundown areas into multiethnic communities..." 

Tokyo

“Living Together”: This link takes you to the PowerPoint slide presentation of Yasushi Matsumoto, Rikkyo University, on segregation and norms of multicultural city living in Tokyo.

This video looks at how Japan, particularly Tokyo and Ota City, is becoming more multicultural.

Toyota

City strives to school foreign youth: Toyota, Brazilians offer their own types of user-friendly education Toyota, home of the nation's top automaker, Toyota Motor Corp., had one of the largest concentrations of Brazilians, totaling 4,972 as of the end of 1998. Many came to the city in the early 1990s to work for the carmaker, the firm's affiliates and its parts suppliers. Japan Times, May 9, 2000.

An Enclave of Brazilians Is Testing Insular Japan "TOYOTA CITY, Japan — Facing labor shortages back in 1990 but ever wary of allowing in foreigners, Japan made an exception for Japanese-Brazilians. With their Japanese roots, names and faces, these children and grandchildren of Japanese emigrants to Brazil would fit more easily in a society fiercely closed to outsiders, or so the reasoning went."  New York Times, November 1, 2008.

Brazilian community in the Homi Danchi, Toyota City "The Homi public housing development ('Danchi' in Japanese) in the Homigaoka area of Toyota City, in Aichi Prefecture, is now home to a large population of Brazilian immigrants. They mainly came to the area to work at Toyota and related manufacturing jobs, but are now often the first to lose those jobs due to the worsening recession." 

Mutantfrog Travelogue, March 10, 2010

Brazilian community in Toyota City "The Homi public housing development ("Danchi" in Japanese) in the Homigaoka area of Toyota City, in Aichi Prefecture, is now home to a large population of Brazilian immigrants. They mainly came to the area to work at Toyota and related manufacturing jobs, but are now often the first to lose those jobs due to the worsening recession." flickr from Yahoo, 01 Mar, 2009.

Forgotten In Japão: Education in the Brazilian Dekasegi Community

Toyota City: How it became Japan's Detroit "There are many ways to measure how important the car maker Toyota is to the Japanese economy, and how hard its lost year has hit both the country as a whole and this once-booming city that bears its name." Globe and Mail, 17 Jul. 2009.

Nikkei Brazilians and Local Residents: A Study of the H Housing Complex in Toyota City "This article provides some insights on the relationship between Nikkei Brazilians and local residents in Toyota City, the center of Japan’s automobile industry." Asian and Pacific Migration Journal, Vol. 9, No. 3, 2000.

Homi "Situated at the top of Homi-ga-oka is the Homi Public Housing Estate which consists of over 40 apartment blocks, shops and schools... Like most Public Housing Estates in Japan today many of the residents are old age pensioners, some of whom live alone. Many of the apartments are uninhabited. The Homi Public Housing Estate has a population of around 11,000 and more than 4,000 of these are Brazilian immigrants." 2009 

Forgotten In Japão: Education in the Brazilian Dekasegi Community A film about the Brazilian-Japanese community in Toyota City by Sam Holden

Yamagata

Country kids need language support: Growing educational diversity not limited to urban areas This article focuses on Yamagata Prefecture which was the first prefecture to encourage international marriages and where 1 in 17 of all marriages are international. It looks at the need for better Japanese language support for 'newcomer' children - children born outside of Japan whose parents bring them to Japan - especially in the Japanese countryside. Japan Times, March 14, 2006. 

'Loss' and 'Recovery' of Voice amongst Korean International Marriage Migrants "Globalisation and migration present growing challenges for Japan, a country not traditionally thought of as a destination for migration. Conventional ideologies portray Japan as a country of one race, one culture, and one language..." electronic journal of contemporary japanese studies, 2 February, 2007.

Approved Specified Non-profit Corporation IVY "IVY is an authorized nonprofit organization with a head office located in Yamagata City, Yamagata Prefecture in Tohoku (northeast Japan) that was established in December 1991...In addition to providing support to non-Japanese living in Yamagata Prefecture and Tohoku, particularly women who came to Japan for international marriage and Japanese nationals returning from China, IVY also implements educational workshops for children to promote international understanding and environmental education, such as the Global Children’s Camp."

Support of Foreigners "The IVY Foreigner Support Section, with the keywords of 'life' and 'language,' is involved in providing support to registered aliens, their families, and the region..." Approved Specified Non-profit Corporation IVY 

Farmers’ Successors and the Immigration of Female Asian Spouses in Rural Japan "The objective of this study is to document this trend in the rural district of Yamagata Prefecture and to investigate potential problems stemming from this newly emerging marriage pattern..." Shoji Okuyama

New link added 02 May 2017 Fixed international marriages often disappoint This article looks at arranged marriages between Japanese men and brides from China, the Philippines, South Korea and other Asian countries in depopulated rural areas of Japan. It explores the experiences of the women in these marriages and focuses on the situation in Yamagata Prefecture, where these marriages have continued to increase. Japan Times, Jan 8, 2002.

Yokohama

Foreign residents in Yokohama at 31 Jan, 2013. The date shows the total number of residents and the number in each ward of the city by nationality. 

Chinese immigrants played vital role This article discusses the role of Chinese people in the development of Yokohama, from the second half of the 19th century, especially as intermediaries between Japan and the West. Japan Times, 28 May, 2009.

Yokohama Chinatown: Wikipedia article

'Multicultural studio' offers hope: Yokohama volunteers help kids with studies, social problems An article about volunteers working to help school students with non-Japanese, mostly Vietnamese, cultural backgrounds at the Icho Danchi public housing complex in Yokohama. Kanagawa Prefecture is home to about one-third of the Indochinese who have settled in Japan since the late 1970s. Japan Times, Nov. 28, 2002. 

Immigrant teaches peers: Brazilian helps other newcomers to Japan Brazilian-born Elisa Kemmisaki, 22, is a newly assigned English language teacher at Ushioda Junior High School in Yokohama. She also helps pupils in the "kokusai kyoshitsu" (international classroom) pursue their study of Japanese and other subjects. Japan Times, June 18, 2003. 

Yokohama International Student House YISH is a house for international students Offering various Exchange programs. This Public facility was established by the city of Yokohama.

BRAZIL×YOKOHAMA BRIDGE OVER THE DISTANCES "Yokohama Civic Art Gallery will hold an exhibition of Brazil ×Yokohama, Bridge Over the Distances to commemorate the Japan-Brazil Year of Exchange that celebrate the 100 year-round of Japanese in Brazil Immigrant. This exhibition is held as a 'New Art Show' series that we annually organize to introduce new artistic tendencies to the wide range of people." nichido contemporary art, 2008 09.05 - 09.26 

Office of International Policy (Policy Bureau) This is the foreign language version of the Yokohama City Official Homepage.