Le traitement médiatique des travailleurs brésiliens du Japon durant la crise économique de 2009

Abstract

This article analyzes the media coverage of the socioeconomic hardships suffered by Brazilians of Japanese descent (nikkei Brazilians) in the wake of the 2009 Japanese economic crisis. Across the board lay-offs of nikkei Brazilian workers, who account for the third largest contingent of Japan’s foreign population, caused widespread uncertainty among Brazilian working communities. For the first time in the history of Brazilian immigration to Japan, collective awareness grew, crystallizing around the hardships endured, and soon Brazilian protesters began taking to the streets to express their growing frustration. The way in which the national media covered the nikkei Brazilian crisis brought to light contradictory responses from the Japanese public. The author concludes that despite the fact that protectionist political measures and negative images of immigrants portrayed by the media still endure, 2009 marked the year in which the Brazilian community laid claim to a genuine place in its host society.