Japan to seek more foreign maids A government panel chaired by the Prime Minister, the Council on Economic and Fiscal Policy, has recommend making it easier for families to hire foreign housekeepers and home helps in future in order to allow more Japanese women ro enter the workforce. Japan Times, 5 June, 2014.
Foreign workers fear exploitation as Olympic projects gather steam This article by Hifumi Okunuki looks at proposals to use foreign interns from countries such as Vietnam to meet the labour shortage for Olympic construction work. It takes a critical look at the history of the foreign technical intern training programme and explains that recent government proposals now openly treat it as a source of cheap foreign labour not as a training programme to support international development. Japan Times, 9 Apr, 2014.
More foreigners working in Japan At the end of October 2013, the number of foreign workers in Japan stood at 717,504, up 5.1 percent from the year before, the highest since employers started regularly submitting reports on foreign employees to the ministry in 2007. This editorial looks at some of the reasons for this growth and suggests some policies that are needed in response to it. Japan Times, 15 Feb 2014.
Foreign workers of Japanese ancestry deserve better treatment This editorial criticises the government's program, started in 2009, to pay South American workers of Japanese descent in Japan to return to go back to their original countries when the economy worsened, and the lack of a decision about when to allow those workers to return. It concludes: "Japan should accept foreign workers not as mere manpower but as people. " Asahi Shimbun, 23 Sep 2013.
Opening the door to foreigners: Expert warns Japan shuns the very immigrants it needs to thrive An interview with Susumu Ishihara, 57, president of the Japan Immigrant Information Agency, who believes Japan need immigrants if it is to stay the second biggest economy in the world, and should have proper laws and regualtions in place to accept immigrants. He has recently started a new magazine called Immigrants with his own money to provide more informaton about immigration issues and foreigners living in Japan. In the interview, he says Japan already has many foreign workers and must look after them better, and talks aboutthe situation of Brazilian Nikkeijin and immigration policies aimed at them. Japan Times, April 30, 2009.
Opinion split over giving permanent foreign residents local voting rights This article on the arguments for and against giving voting rights to foreign permanent residents in local elections focuses mainly on Korean permanent residents and connects this issue with the uqestion of dual nationality. Mainichi Daily News, 24th Nov, 2009.
DPJ postpones submission of foreigner voting rights bill The ruling Democratic Party of Japan on Friday decided not to submit to the current extraordinary Diet session a bill for giving foreigners with permanent residency the right to vote in local elections, DPJ officials said. Yomiuri Shimbun, 14th Nov, 2009.
Government split over bill to give non-Japanese permanent residents right to vote A bill proposed by a key member of the ruling Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) to grant permanent foreign residents the right to vote in local elections has split the party. Mainichi Daily News, 7th November, 2009.
Hatoyama plays down prospects for drafting foreigner suffrage bill Enacting laws to allow permanent foreign residents to vote in local-level elections may be difficult in the near future and more debate is needed to form a nonpartisan consensus in the Diet, Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama said Thursday. Speaking in the Lower House, Hatoyama emphasized that he is still a firm advocate of voting rights for permanent foreign residents but said the issue remains sensitive. Japan Times, Nov. 6, 2009.
Dry-cleaning company boss reported to prosecutors over treatment of Chinese trainees The Kofu Labor Standards Inspection Office has sent documents to public prosecutors accusing a dry-cleaning company president of violating labor and wage laws by making Chinese trainees work for pay below the minimum wage. Mainichi Daily News, April 21, 2009.
Fewer Filipino nurses, caregivers The number of Filipino nurses and caregivers scheduled to come to Japan in May is expected to be less than 300, far short of the 450 health workers agreed to under a bilateral economic partnership deal. The Asahi Shimbun, April 17, 2009.
Foreign trainee abuse found at 452 entities The Justice Ministry says it has found irregularities at a 452 companies and organizations that hosted foreign trainees last year. The Yomiuri Shimbun, 11 Apr, 2009.
Let's improve language education for migrants A Point of View article by Akito Ozaki, chairman of the Society for Teaching Japanese as a Foreign Language. Ozaki looks at the problems facing foreign residents in Japan in the economic downturn and arguments the government should have a policy to provide Japanese language education for them. The Asahi Shimbun, April 16, 2009. >>>More on language issues >>>
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.
Americans in Japan The community of Americans in Japan began to form after the 1854 Convention of Kanagawa, under which Commodore Matthew C. Perry forced Japan open to international trade. Wikipedia
Let 10% of Japan be foreigners: Nakagawa Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers made an ambitious proposal Thursday to raise the ratio of immigrants in Japan to about 10 percent over the next 50 years. Japan Times, June 13, 2008.
Will open-door immigration plan die after Fukuda? Japan isn't exactly known as an open country to foreigners, but there was a recent brief ray of hope in June. Japan Times, September 19, 2008.
An aging Japan slowly opens up to foreigners Yanti Kartina left her family in Indonesia and joined 200 other nurses in moving to Japan, where a rapidly growing elderly population has created a desperate need for careers in old-age homes and hospitals. The nurses, who are expected to learn Japanese and requalify as they work, are seen as an important test case as Japan struggles with the world's fastest growing elderly population and a work force that is forecast to shrink, potentially devastating the economy. International Herald Tribune.
Discrimination Towards Foreigners in Japan The orchestrated move by the Japanese government over the case of an Iranian family of four seeking special residence permission to continue living in Japan should be considered as a clear example of violating all human rights conventions that tarnishes Japan's image. Global Politician. >>>More on Discrimination against foreigners and minorities >>>
Advocacy Network for Overstaying Foreigners in Japan In November 1999, The Urgent Appeal for the Japanese Government to Grant "Special Permission for Residence" to the Twenty-one Foreign Overstayers was submitted to the Ministry of Justice. In spite of the time limitation, a total of 593 signatures were obtained among researchers, with over 100 signatures from abroad. The list of the signatories was submitted to the Ministry of Justice along with the joint statement made by Japanese researchers, as well as some overseas experts' views supporting the demand. UNESO The Asian Pacific Migration Research Network
Population Information from 2003 on the number of foreign residents in Tokyo and Yokohama, the total number of foreign residents in Japan and their nationalities, and the distribution of foreign residents throughout Japan. Paperlantern.net.
Foreigners in Japan A short article on the total numbers of foreigners and Westerners in Japan as a whole and in different parts of Japan, and on the nationalities of these foreigners, using data from 2003. Japan Reference, 31st July 2005.
Immigrant population in Japan Data on the number of registered foreigners and permanent residents in December 2002, and the number of foreigners who had overstayed their visas in January 2003. Also includes links to infirmation on people of various foreign nationalities in Japan. Professor Keizo Yamawaki , Meiji University School of Global Japanese Studies.
President of Manpower Supply Agency Arrested for Allegedly Supplying Illegal Foreign Workers to Factories A short news story about the President of a manpower supply agency in Takasaki, Gunma who was arrested for recruiting about 150 illegal foreign workers for companies. Asia Monitor Resource Centre (originally published by The Japan Labour Flash, 1 Sep, 2007.)
Foreign Trainees In Japan Defend Their Rights by Michiko Hiroki An article about foreign trainees in Japan, many female, gathering to share experiences and overcome common abuses. Includes information on the situation of the trainees and the kinds of work they do. Asia Monitor Resource Centre, 2008.
Japan firms exploiting foreign trainees Japan’s industrial training and technical internship programmes, mainly for young people from China and Southeast Asia, have been shaken by revelations that some firms are exploiting the programme to save costs. Some foreign interns in the programmes have been underpaid or forced to take unproductive jobs unconnected to training. The Financial Express, Dec 28, 2006.
Labour Dynamics: Foreign permanent residents on rise, filling gaps Japan's population started declining in 2005, but in contrast, registered foreigners soared to a record high 2.01 million, a leap from 1.36 million a decade ago and accounting for 1.57 percent of the nation's total population. This article looks in particular at the situation of Chinese permanent residents - the bigest group pf people applying for permanent residency recently - and focuses on Eika Ma, a Chinese woman with permanent residency who is president of a small compnay in Tokyo, also works as a lawyer, and who is married to Swedish man. Japan Times, Jan. 3, 2007.
Injustice of labor shortages by Kiroku Hanai. This article criticises the Training Program for Foreigners scheme, which had about 200,000 people on it in 2007. It claims that although the training program is supposed to help developing nations improve their human resources by provding technical skills for people from these countries, "these so-called trainees are being exploited to make up for labor shortages [in Japan] in industrial sectors like agriculture, construction, fishery, sewing and food processing." Japan Times, July 28, 2008.
Recommendations of Overseas Emigration Council Future Policy Regarding Cooperation with Overseas Communities of Nikkei A report for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dec 11, 2000. It also has recommendations on Japanese language education for Nikkei and on the employment of Nikkei in Japan.
Foreign Students Staying on to Work in Japan Hits Record High: Ministry of Justice According to the Ministry of Justice, which controls Japan’s immigration bureau, the number of foreign students who found jobs and stayed in Japan after graduating in 2006 increased by 40%, from just over 5,900 in 2005 to 8,272 last year. Japan Economy News, August 15, 2007.
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.
Running the sex trade gantlet: Voracious sex market and lax laws encourage abuse Despite the recession, Japan still has Asia's largest and most voracious sex market, one that has sucked in as many as 150,000 non-Japanese women, mainly from the Philippines and Thailand, according to the International Organization for Migration. Japan Times, Nov. 11, 2003.
Foreign women who leave husbands have few options In the early 1990s, most foreign women who came to abuse shelters for help complained that they were forced into prostitution by job brokers, said Rutsuko Shoji, director of HELP Asian Women's Shelter, a Tokyo-based organization that supports Japanese and foreign women....In recent years, more and more women are seeking the group's support over domestic violence, divorce, pregnancy and child-rearing.Japan Times, June 4, 1999.
The trafficking scourge: Japan has tackled sex trafficking, but challenges remain Thailand is one of the primary source countries of women trafficked as sex workers in Japan, along with the Philippines, Columbia, and increasingly China, South Korea and Indonesia. For years, there was resistance by the Japanese government in taking significant steps to reduce human trafficking. Japan Times, Aug. 15, 2006.
1,000 foreign trainees forced to return home as firms feel pinch More than 1,000 foreign trainees involved in government programs were forced to return home as sponsor companies have been suffering from the deteriorating economy, a government survey has revealed. Mainichi Japan, April 7, 2009
Assistant language teachers in trying times An article about the harsh treatment of foreign Assistant Language Teachers in Japan who are employed as temporary - or hakken staff - by outsourcing companies. Japan Times, 5 Jan 2008
The Organization of Foreign Workers in Japan: A Case Study of the Kanagawa City Union An older report from 2001 that looks at a trade union with many members who are foreign workers.
Chapter 7. Minority Groups: Ethnicity and Discrimination, in Sugimoto, Yoshio. (2003). An introduction to Japanese society. Cambridge [England] : Cambridge University Press. Available from: Chuo Library 中央書庫 309.152/S94 & Mike. Section VI Immigrant Workers from Overseas.
Douglass, Mike & Roberts, Glenda S, (Eds). (2003). Japan and global migration: foreign workers and the advent of a multicultural society. London; New York: Routledge. Available from Chuo Library総合政策 325.252/J35 & Mike. This book has an excellent collection of articles on immigration and foreign workers in Japan. See below for detials of the main chapters on immigration issues:
Douglass, M. & Roberts G. S. (2003). 'Japan in a global age of migration', in M. Douglass & G. S. Roberts (Eds). Japan and global migration: foreign workers and the advent of a multicultural society. London; New York: Routledge. Available from Chuo Library総合政策 325.252/J35 & Mike. Makes four main points: that Japan already has a history of migration and foreign workers so this is not a new issue; that migration of foreign labour cannot be prevented whatever immigration policies the Japanese government adopts; that Japan will need immigration of low-wage labour in the future; and that immigration does not impose high costs on Japanese society and economy.
Yamawaki, K. (2003). 'Foreign workers in Japan: A historical perspective', in M. Douglass & G. S. Roberts (Eds). Japan and global migration: foreign workers and the advent of a multicultural society. London; New York: Routledge. Available from Chuo Library総合政策 325.252/J35 & Mike. Looks at Korean and Chinese workers in Japan from the 1890s to the 1920s to argue that Japan has a long history of foreign workers and suggests similarities between the situation of foreign workers in the 1920s and in the 'bubble economy' of the 1980s.
Weiner, M. (2003). 'Japan in the age of migration', in M. Douglass & G. S. Roberts (Eds). Japan and global migration: foreign workers and the advent of a multicultural society. London; New York: Routledge. Available from Chuo Library総合政策325.252/J35 & Mike. Weiner argues that there are similarities between the inflow of foreign labour in the recent period and in the pre-Pacific War colonial period, that immigration to Japan is likely to continue in the future, that there has been a failure by national government to create an adequate policy for handling this immigration, and that a regional, Asian framework of co-operation is needed to deal with this issue.
Douglass, M. (2003). 'The singularities of international migration of women to Japan: Past, present and future', in M. Douglass & G. S. Roberts (Eds). Japan and global migration: foreign workers and the advent of a multicultural society. London; New York: Routledge. Available from Chuo Library総合政策 325.252/J35 & Mike. Focuses in particular on migration of women from the Philippines into the sex industry in Japan and asks why Japan is the only country in which the majority of female immigrants have been recruited legally or illegally to work in the sex industry.
Machimura, T. (2003). 'Local settlement patterns of foreign workers in Greater Tokyo: Growing diversity and its consequences', in M. Douglass & G. S. Roberts (Eds). Japan and global migration: foreign workers and the advent of a multicultural society. London; New York: Routledge. Available from Chuo Library総合政策 325.252/J35 & Mike. Looks at the ways that three different groups of foreign workers - Nikkeijin, legal Asian workers, and illegal Asian workers - have settled and formed communities in the Greater Tokyo area, covering Tokyo, Kanagawa, Chiba, Saitama, Ibaraki, Tochigi and Gunma, which had 40% of all foreign workers in Japan at the end of the 1990s.
Tegtmeyer Pak, K. (2003). 'Foreigners are local citizens too: Local governments respond to international migration in Japan', in M. Douglass & G. S. Roberts (Eds). Japan and global migration: foreign workers and the advent of a multicultural society. London; New York: Routledge. Available from Chuo Library総合政策 325.252/J35 & Mike. Looks at how effectively four lcoal governments in Kawaguchi, Saitama Prefecture, Shinjuku, Kawasaki and Hamamatsu have provided support for foreign migrants living in those communities.
Migrant Support Organizations in Japan – A Survey by Gabriele Vogt & Philipp Lersch In this paper we pose two main research questions: How successful are MSO in Japan when it comes to actually improving the living and working conditions of foreigners? And how successful are MSO in Japan when it comes to political advocacy for foreigners? German Institute for Japanese Studies, 2007.