In 2000, the United Nations reported that an average of 609,000 immigrants per year from 1995 through 2050 is needed for Japan in order to maintain its workforce at the 1995 level (U. N. Population Division 53). The news surprised many people in Japan, and they were forced to face the immigration issue sincerely. This controversial issue has been discussed for last 150 years. Facing today’s low birth-rate and ageing population, Japan should now accept more immigrants and become a multi-ethnic country in the future. On the other hand, there are strong oppositions against accepting immigrants for economic and cultural reasons. To clarify the points, first the issue regarding foreign workers is examined from the economic point of view in a short-time period. The present situation and historical background of foreign labor help explaining both reasons why Japan should or should not accept more foreign workers. Secondly, immigration to Japan is examined from the cultural point of view in the long time period. In conclusion, it is very important for Japan to become multi-cultural and international in order to be more creative and competitive in the world.
Japan will inevitably accept more foreign workers to meet the huge demand of labor force in various industrial fields such as nursing and caring. The present situation of foreign labor is critical. Low birth-rate and ageing process caused the lack of workforce especially in dirty, dangerous, and difficult jobs. Foreigners gradually started to take those unskilled jobs few decades ago. The number of foreign workers in Japan has 50% increased in last ten years (Koseirodosho Shokugyo Anteikyoku 6). Japan’s government is trying to catch up the situation. Its immigration policy is very si...
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Over the past fifty years Japan has seen significant changes in all aspects of its society and the way it interacts with the outside world. For example, despite suffering a defeat in World War II, Japan soon became one of Asia’s greatest economic powers. In Japan in Transformation, 1952 - 2000, Jeffrey Kingston focuses on various aspects of change in Japanese society and politics in the period after World War II. These include the effect of the US occupation, analysis of postwar politics, the economic boom, changes in demographics, the treatment of women, and foreign policy and security issues. Throughout the book, the author tries and often succeeds to explain many of these changes as part of the legacy of the occupation. All in all, Jeffrey Kingston gives a thorough economic, politic and social analysis of this crucial period in Japanese history.
...ilroad and mining companies had depended on cheap Chinese labor for the majority of their profits and were still unwilling to pay higher wages to white American workers. These businesses increasingly depended on Japanese immigrants to replace the prohibited Chinese workers. As the Japanese came, the Americans told the same story that they had with the Chinese. They were once again arguing that the Japanese were taking their jobs and not absorbing the American culture. The United States took action yet again, by creating an informal treaty with Japan, restricting Japanese immigration to the U.S.
Racial demeanor towards the Japanese has existed long before the Japanese Empire attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Even back in 1905 some Americans despised the idea of growing immigration from Japan. These white workers claimed that the typical Japanese man was “bumptious, disagreeable, and unreliable”, and that the country would be blessed to receive less “oriental labor” (Japanese
Japanese immigration created the same apprehension and intolerance in the mind of the Americans as was in the case of Chinese migration to the U.S at the turn of the 19th century. They developed a fear of being overwhelmed by a people having distinct ethnicity, skin color and language that made them “inassimilable.” Hence they wanted the government to restrict Asian migration. Japan’s military victories over Russia and China reinforced this feeling that the Western world was facing what came to be known as “yellow peril”. This was reflected in the media, movies and in literature and journalism.4 Anti-Oriental public opinion gave way to several declarations and laws to restrict Japanese prosperity on American land. Despite the prejudice and ineligibility to obtain citizenship the ...
Over the last decades social protection programs have been developed to mitigate damaging impacts from economic crises and individual setbacks. The role of social health protection has been particularly highlighted as a human right that safeguards the economic productivity of a healthy work force and serves as a social and economic stabilizer in times of crises (Adlung, X. & Sander, L., 2010). Kelly accepted her first job after graduating from her management program and relocated to Japan. Mr. Higashi was her immediate supervisor and mentored several of The Japanese Exchange and Teaching Program (JET) candidates. He definitely liked Kelly right away because she spoke fluent Japanese which set her apart from many of the current and past graduates. Each newly assigned JET employer signed an employment contract which set them apart from the Japanese workers in the office including key differences in work hours, Saturdays off and acknowledgement of the Japanese holidays. Many of the Japanese workers resented the recent graduates because they had these special considerations in their contract and did not have the same w...
Immigration can be defined as passing foreigners to a country and making it their permanent residence. Reasons ranging from politics, economy, natural disasters, wish to change ones surroundings and poverty are in the list of the major causes of immigration in both history and today. In untied states, immigration comes with complexities in its demographic nature. A lot of cultural and population growth changes have been witnessed as a result of immigration. In the following paper, I will focus on how immigration helps United States as compared to the mostly held view that it hurts America.
Firstly to justify why countries limit their immigrations, there should be knowledge of the different types of immigrants as there are different reasons to leave from one country and move into another. In the last 30 years, the number of international immigrants has been estimated 191 million worldwide, two times as before. As ...
Gozdziak, E.M. and E, C. 2005. A Review Of Literature. International Migration. [online] Available at: EBSCOhost [Accessed: 20 Nov 2013].
It is well-known fact that in New York City people are able to find job. It influences for arriving a lot of immigrants there. While immigrants work in jobs with little salary, in addition they manage to find jobs with high wage. Foreign-born workers in the City made up 100 PERCENT OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERS, 71 percent of biomedical and agricultural engineers, 40 percent of accountants and auditors, 27 percent of chief executives and legislators, and 21 percent of elementary and middle school teachers (“The Role of Immigrants in the New York City Economy”). The role of immigrants in the New York City economy is very important due to the fact that they ...
Since the beginning of Japanese immigration into America, they were discriminated for their race. In a newspaper story titled “Abundant dreams diverted”, the perspective of Japanese people during the late 1800s and mid 1900s is revealed. When Japanese immigrants had came to America in 1880, “Japanese workers soon found that low pay and discrimination subverted their
...t diversity as a necessary evil of the new world economy, but still hold onto the xenophobic and conformity views it has had throughout its’ history. Only time will tell whether the Japanese society is ready to accept diversity. The movement has been started by the younger generation and the successful technology based companies they have founded. Japan’s history dictates that conflict follows fast cultural changes. The transformation from the Nara Era into the Tokogawa Era, and later from the Tokogawa Era into the Meiji Era were all marked by quick and rapid changes in Japanese cultural doctrine. Each transition had violent confrontations between those fighting to take power and those trying to keep it. During each of these cultural revolutions influences from the old system remained. Japan today has put down their swords, but as past history shows, the old conservatives will not hand over their system to the younger liberals easily. This suggests that the change toward diversity in Japan will not happen over night, but slowly over time. It may take generations for the Japanese society to completely forget the conformist and xenophobic cultural influences of the past 1500 years.
Japan needs to have more babies. The population of Japan is declining, and the birth rate is a base problem. People just aren’t having enough babies anymore. This will be problematic, as Tomm says “The consequences have had negative effects as fertility rate continues to decline and life expectancy continues to increase”. After the birth rate has been declining for the past four decades, the old far outnumber the young at a ratio of nearly 2:1(“Japan Age structure”). There aren’t enough workers to pay into social security. Social problems like traditional gender roles and stereotypes negatively impact the growth of the population. Because of their work-centric lifestyles, social problems, and child related expenses, Japan’s birth rate is severely declining.
Immigration poses an ongoing debate in which people are becoming increasingly unsure as to whether immigrants are benefiting their society. This paper will examine three of the main benefits of immigration: the increase in diversity it provides, the rise in skills and labor and the benefits to the economy. Immigration leads to cross-cultural integration, therefore increasing ethnic variety. This increase in diversity is beneficial as it leads to improvements in society, as well as educational development. Increased immigration also means there are more skills and experts available to the hosting countries, as well as extra workers to take up jobs that need filling. Immigration also leads to improvements in the economy as taxes are paid and employment and wages increase.
Martin, P., 2008. Another Miracle? ManagingLabour Migration in Asia.Bangkok, 20-21 September, 2008, Bangkok: United Nations.
The small island country of Japan is rich in a culture that has developed over thousands of years. It is very difficult to analyze another culture without some knowledge of that culture first. During my two year residency in Japan, my eyes were opened to the culture of Japan and its people and I grew to love it as much as my own. (The ideas expressed in this essay mainly consist of my own knowledge and observations of Japan). The Japanese are a very traditional people. But this should not be confused with a primitive people, because the Japanese are not primitive by most dictionaries' definitions of the word. Japan has been changing in recent years in its view of its own economy, in its social interactions, in its thoughts about religion, and in its overall view of its place in the world and among other nations.