Asian Newcomers in Shinjuku and Ikebukuro Areas, 1988–1998: Reflections on a Decade of Research

Abstract

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. Based on 10 years of research in these communities, the author argues that the inner city areas have generated “hybrid communities,” characterized by “subtle distancing and territoriality.” Among others, this reality challenges the validity of such categories as “Asian immigrants,” and “foreigners” and “Japanese.”