Local News

Population Inflow into Japan Fifth Highest in the World

Japan is officially not accepting unskilled laborers from overseas countries and instead continues to pursue a policy of isolation as far as immigration is concerned. But in reality, young people from Asia, who have entered Japan as international students and technical interns, are taking responsibility for unskilled and low paid jobs. By international standards, Japan is one of the main recipients of immigrants.

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) defines immigrants as “people from overseas who have been in Japan for more than a year.” Figures from the International Migration Database, which looks at migration flows among the 35 countries surveyed, provides insight into how the Japanese situation compares with others. Statistics that relate to the movement of immigrants during 2014 show that the foreign population inflow into Japan was the fifth highest in the world, at more than 340,000.

Recently, there have been greater calls to clamp down on immigration in the United States under the Trump administration, while there has also been debate in the EU on the topic, with some members wavering on immigration. The competition to acquire international talent has intensified among countries and regions across Asia to such an extent that harsh working conditions akin to slave labor are emerging. Globalization has seen increased movement of people, meaning that the debate around immigration continues. Japan may have managed to avoid the discussion but is already affected by the issue.

Future installments of this series will explore the ways in which locals are coexisting with international residents. Looking at global trends can help provide inspiration for how Japan should develop its own immigration policy.


Original article from Nishinippon Shimbun (3/23/2017).

New Era of Immigration in Kyushu
The number of workers from abroad, including international students and technical interns in Japan, exceeded one million for the first time last year. This group of people form an indispensable component of the workforce, irrespective of the government’s position on immigration. Read more installments from this series here.

Category
Society
Fukuoka City
Published: Sep 4, 2017 / Last Updated: Sep 4, 2017

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