Local Citizenship in Recent Countries of Immigration: Japan in Comparative Perspective

Abstract

Since the mid-1980s, Japanese society has experienced a massive influx of foreign workers. This is relatively late compared with the experience of other countries of immigration, and it can be said that Japan is a latecomer or, in the words of the title of the book under review, a recent country of immigration. From the second half of the 1980s, many foreign workers in Japan did not have proper working visas or were overstayers, and the Japanese national government recognized immigration as ‘a problem’ that required a solution. However, it refused to accept formally unskilled foreign workers. This basic direction of Japanese immigration policy has not changed. On the other hand, through a ‘side door’, foreign trainees and nikkeijin (Japanese descendents) from Latin American countries began to enter and work in Japan in the 1990s. Their working conditions were often problematic. Moreover, it became obvious that many foreigners, including the nikkeijin, lived in Japan for long periods and, thus, could be seen not only as foreign ‘workers’ but also as seikatsusha (people living in the community). Additionally, owing to an acceleration in the growth of the ageing population, public debate calling for a reconsideration of immigration policy has become increasingly prevalent since the late 1990s. In the debate on immigration control, several ministries and institutions have proposed revisions of the various visa categories and conditions required to accept foreign workers. It should be also noted that the social integration of foreign workers and residents into Japanese society has begun to be considered at the national level. For example, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications formulated the Chiiki ni okeru Tabunka Kyōsei Suishin Puran (Promotion Plan for Living Together Multiculturally in Local Communities) in 2006 based on a report on local governments’ actions for foreign residents by a special research group. The plans and actions of the ministries are still affected by a vertical administrative structure, while, from immigration control to the social integration of foreign residents, the necessity of a comprehensive national immigration policy has been also noted by several organizations, scholars, and politicians.