Latin Americans of Japanese Origin (Nikkeijin) Working in Japan : A Survey
Since the revision of the Japanese immigration law in 1990, there has been a dramatic influx of Latin Americans, mostly Brazilians, of Japanese origin (Nikkeijin) working in Japan. This is because the revision has basically allowed Nikkeijin to ent...
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| Format: | Policy Research Working Paper |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
World Bank, Washington, DC
2012
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| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2007/04/7595132/latin-americans-japanese-origin-nikkeijin-working-japan-survey http://hdl.handle.net/10986/7119 |
| Summary: | Since the revision of the Japanese
immigration law in 1990, there has been a dramatic influx of
Latin Americans, mostly Brazilians, of Japanese origin
(Nikkeijin) working in Japan. This is because the revision
has basically allowed Nikkeijin to enter Japan legally even
as unskilled workers, while the Japanese law, in principle,
prohibits foreigners from taking unskilled jobs in the
country. In response, the number of these Latin American
migrants has increased from practically zero to more than
250,000. The migration of Nikkeijin is likely to have a
significant impact on both the Brazilian and the Japanese
economies, given the substantial amount of remittances they
send to Brazil. The impact is likely to be felt especially
in the Nikkeijin community in Brazil. In spite of their
importance, the detailed characteristics of Nikkei migrants
and the prospect for future migration and remittances are
under-researched. The purpose of this paper is therefore to
provide a more comprehensive account of the migration of
Nikkeijin workers to Japan. The paper contains a brief
review of the history of Japanese emigration to Latin
America (mostly Brazil), a study of the characteristics of
Nikkeijin workers in Japan and their current living
conditions, and a discussion on trends and issues regarding
immigration in Japan and migration policy. The final part of
the paper briefly notes the limitation of existing studies
and describes the Brazil Nikkei Household Survey, which is
being conducted by the World Bank's Development
Research Group at the time of writing this paper. The
availability of the survey data will contribute to a better
understanding of the Japan-Brazil migration and remittance corridor. |
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