ADELAIDE: Japan is widely considered one of the most monocultural and insulated countries in the world. This is reflected in the contradictions in its immigration…
ADELAIDE: Japan is widely considered one of the most monocultural and insulated countries in the world. This is reflected in the contradictions in its immigration policy.
Japan is not an easy place to move to: It does not even have an immigration department that specialises in visa and border control issues, nor a point-based skilled independent immigration scheme.
Japan also has a reputation of being miserly towards those who seek humanitarian shelter. According to Japan’s Ministry of Justice, the “success” rate for applications is less than 0.2 per cent, with Japan accepting 20 refugees in 2017 from 11,361 individual cases.
The story is different for those with means. Through establishing and running a business in Japan, the wealthy are able to relocate to Japan and stay indefinitely.
And between these two extremes, Tokyo has created visas desired to fill shortages in manual labour.
The first wave begun in 1990, when the Japanese diaspora became eligible to apply for residential status enabling them to work in Japan indefinitely. This saw a significant migration to Japan from South America, the reverse path of the exodus of their ancestors from Japan.
The Technical Intern Training Programme was introduced in 1993 for foreign nationals, mostly from China and Southeast Asia to gain skills – but the internship visa was largely used to provide cheap labour.
These two systems have been welcomed by many business owners, who have capitalised on the availability of cheap foreign labour.
TROUBLE WITH LANGUAGE AND COMMUNICATION
In recent years, would-be migrants have used another route: Japanese language schools. These schools have been exploited as stepping stones to obtain a long-term Japanese visa.
Unfortunately, many who arrive in Japan with the hope to achieve the “Japanese dream”, are unaware of potential pitfalls: The Japanese legal system, workers’ rights, and the tough working conditions.
A lack of communication skills and Japan’s tough working expectations can be a fatal combination.
