Now Reports

New Era of Immigration in Kyushu

Living and Working Together

The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare revealed last year that the number of international workers in Japan (including international students who are employed) was expected to exceed one million for the first time in January 2017. The 50,000 figure was estimated for the Kyushu region with a notable increase in the size of the Vietnamese and Nepali communities in the past five years. The government is targeting an increase to the number of foreign students who can work up to 28 hours per week to 300,000 by 2020. They are also looking for people from overseas to enter Japanese businesses and farms, which will help expand a system of technical internship-based training.

The Nishinippon Shimbun (the newspaper with Kyushu’s largest circulation) is currently running a series called a “New Era of Immigration in Kyushu” which reports the realities and challenges facing the international workforce in Kyushu. Original article from Nishinippon Shimbun (12/15/2016)

New Era of Immigration in Kyushu – Wins Award!

In late October 2017, Waseda University announced the top three grand prize winners of the Ishibashi Tanzan Memorial Journalism Award. The Grass Roots Democracy category went to the Nishinippon Shimbun “New Era of Immigration” series, which investigated the conditions of international workers in Fukuoka and Kyushu. Twenty-nine articles from the series were summarized and translated into English by Fukuoka Now and can be accessed from this page.

Publisher’s Comment

Every morning, my staff and I read the Nishinippon Newspaper to keep up on local events and news. In late 2016, we began to notice more reports involving foreigners. On closer inspection we noticed the reports were about foreigners who live and work here. This was interesting because media usually reports only about inbound tourists or so-called unique residents (henna gaijin). Local media was finally taking note of the growing number of foreign workers in Kyushu, and not just about success and failures, but also about the impact this new wave of immigrants is having on society. As an immigrant who has worked, lived and paid taxes in Japan for over 30 years – I know this is something we all need to pay attention to. Fukuoka Now is very proud to provide translated summaries of this important series on our website.
– Nick Szasz / Publisher / Fukuoka Now

Selection of reports from the series

A selection of reports from Nishinippon Shimbun’s series “New Era of Immigration in Kyushu” are presented here. New entries will be added as they become ready, so please check back for more. The links listed here take you to translated summaries (by Fukuoka Now) original reports that appeared in the Nishinippon Shimbun. Feel free to leave comments. Links to the original Japanese articles are also included.

International Student Migrant Workers
Immigration Exceeds One Million (#1 of 7 part series) / 暮らしの隣「移民」100万人 (original Japanese report)
International Community On The Edge Of The City (#2 of 7 part series) / 都会の隅に外国人村 (original Japanese report)
Japanese Language School On Depopulated Island (#3 of 7 part series) / 過疎の島に日本語学校 (original Japanese report)
Holding Down More Than One Part-time Job (#4 of 7 part series) / 夢追いバイト掛け持ち (original Japanese report)
Student Dropout Returning Home (#5 of 7 part series) / 突然「退学」失意の帰国 (original Japanese report)
Fake Refugees (#6 of 7 part series) / 挫折のち「偽装難民」 (original Japanese report)
The Dilemma Of The 28 Hour Weekly Working Cap (#7 of 7 part series) / 「28時間の壁」ジレンマ (original Japanese report)
—–
International Students and Interns Missing in Kyushu / 留学・実習生失踪480人 昨年の九州7県、生活苦など背景 ベトナム、ネパール人が増加 (original Japanese report)
International Students and Interns Taking Advantage of the Refugee System / 留学生・実習生失踪 「稼げる」と難民偽装 「申請簡単」制度を乱用 (original Japanese report)
International Students Not Following Their Dreams (Questionnaire) / 生活費稼ぐ日々、夢追えぬ留学生 福岡市で街頭アンケ (original Japanese report)
Creation of Special Zones in Kyushu Could Allow Students to Work up to 36 Hours a Week / 留学生就労「週36時間」に 8時間拡大、九州各県が特区検討 (original Japanese report)

The Business of Overseas Study: Behind the Scenes at Language Schools
Language Schools Facing Serious Problems (#1 of 5 part series) / 授業中、賭けトランプ横行 学生囲い込み「学校崩壊」 (original Japanese report)
International Students Sent Home as a Warning to Others (#2 of 5 part series) / 見せしめに「強制帰国」 (original Japanese report)
Japanese Language School Classes in Disarray (#3 of 5 part series) / 教室「全滅」なえる志 (original Japanese report)
Experience Gained at Part-time Jobs Recognized as Class Credits (#4 of 5 part series) / バイトも単位認定 (original Japanese report)
Issues Surrounding Japanese Language School Inspections (#5 of 5 part series) / ひずみ生む 検査の隙 (original Japanese report)
—–
Stricter Regulations for Language Schools with High Numbers of Expulsions and Drop-outs / 留学生の入国審査、法務省厳格化 除籍・退学10人以上の日本語学校に (original Japanese report)
Responses to the Tightening Immigration Policies / 的外れ」現場は反発、留学審査厳格化 新方針「不法」「進学」も同一視 (original Japanese report)

Transforming the Workplace
Japanese Workforce Now Includes Over 200,000 International Interns / 外国人実習生21万人 「国際貢献」実際は労働力 (original Japanese report)
Record Numbers of International Residents in Japan / 在留外国人数最多238万人に (original Japanese report)
Population Inflow into Japan Fifth Highest in the World / 移民問題、日本も当事者 年間34万人、世界第5位 (original Japanese report)
Low Number of Highly Skilled International Workers in Kyushu / 外国人の高度人材少なく 九州、留学生は全国割合上回る (original Japanese report)
New System to Attract Skilled International Workers Off to a Slow Start / 高度外国人材、入国伸び悩み 16年は新規229人 (original Japanese report)
—–
International Workers Manufacture Japan-made Products (#1 of 6 part series) / 「日本製」頼りは外国人 (original Japanese report)
Japanese Companies Recruit Talented International Students (#2 of 6 part series) / 留学生、社の頭脳に (original Japanese report)
Kyushu Graduates Pursue Careers in Other Parts of Japan (#3 of 6 part series) / 人材争奪 都市へ流出 (original Japanese report)
Embracing Cultural Differences In The Workplacen (#4 of 6 part series) / 異文化受け入れに差 (original Japanese report)
Difficulties in Obtaining Work Visa in Japan (#5 of 6 part series) / 採用阻む「ビザの壁」 (original Japanese report)
A Culture that Fosters Startups and New Businesses (#6 of 6 part series) / 起業しやすい風土に (original Japanese report)

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Fukuoka City
Published: Jun 13, 2017 / Last Updated: Aug 23, 2018

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