Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
rampant. Consequently , the majority of Japan' s Koreans
are trapped in poorly paid, unskilled jobs.
The Chinese number more than 655,000. About 20
percent of these people are descendants of residents who
were in Japan before World War II. The rest are temporary
residents, guest workers, and migrant laborers. In fact,
China is becoming
the
major source for low-cost labor
in Japan. Chinese are most visible in “Chinatowns,” the
largest of which is in Y okohama. While discriminated
against, they fare better than the Koreans.
Another minority is the Okinawans from the
Ryukyu Islands south of Kyushu. The Ryukyus were not
incorporated into Japan until the seventeenth century .
Okinawans are similar to Japanese and speak a variant of
the language. They are treated as second-class citizens.
There are also foreign residents in Japan. These hail
from places such as the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia,
and Vietnam. Coming to Japan for economic opportuni-
ties, they are forced into low-end jobs that no Japanese
will take. There are also foreigners of Japanese ancestry—
the
Nikkei
. Numbering about half a million, these people
come from Brazil, Peru, and other parts of South America
from where they emigrated in the twentieth century .
Now returning to their homeland for work, they look
Japanese but cannot speak the language. Moreover, their
cultural bent is Latin American. Consequently , they are
treated as outsiders.
The largest minority group is the
Burakumin
, who
are Japanese descended from under-classes defined in
medieval times. They number 2 to 3 million. The
Hinin
(nonpersons) were beggars, prostitutes, entertainers, and
the like. The
Eta
(filth) were a subclass of untouchables
regarded as spiritually unclean because of their occupa-
tions burying the dead or slaughtering animals. Since
myths of spiritual and racial purity still abound in Japan,
Burakumin
are shunned and remain segregated in urban
ghettoes. Some attempt to quietly integrate into society
but they are usually found during background checks for
employment and marriage. Then they are rejected.
Many companies, including the major ones, will not
hire minorities. Students from the best schools will not
work for companies that do. T To marry a minority person
is unthinkable.
Several minority action groups deal with govern-
ment agencies to obtain improved conditions, but not all
minorities are equally represented. Moreover, some mi-
norities (e.g., the Koreans) eschew full participation in
Japanese society . This results in a paradox: sustaining
group identity in the face of discrimination and relying
on organizational intermediaries to deal with major
issues shields Japanese society and individuals from
confronting their prejudicial behaviors and practices.
IMMIGRATION DEBATE IN A GLOBAL AGE
In 2006, Japan' s population began to decline exponen-
tially . In terms of available workers, this was thought to
be unimportant because Japan' s business would either be
automated or be offshore. However, the demand for low-
wage workers for the country' s labor-intensive industries
has actually increased.
Japan has a history of xenophobia. Government poli-
cies and public opinion share a common perspective: they
think that the presence of foreigners should be tightly
controlled and kept a respectable distance from the rou-
tines of Japanese life. However, foreigners are arriving
in even greater numbers, some with phony visas and
passports. Also, they are bringing their families and form-
ing new households with Japanese nationals, and residing
in cities throughout the nation. These migrants include
many women who come to work in the “entertainment
industry .”
The voluntary or forced movement of Asian women to
Japan has a long history stretching back more than a 100
years. This movement has become highly structured and
highly complex as agents, brokers, and prostitution rings
and clubs in Japanese cities have created extensive net-
works for the recruitment and distribution of foreign
women. A 1997 survey of Filipinas coming to Japan re-
vealed that only 10 percent knew that they would be work-
ing as prostitutes. The remainder believed that they would
be working as domestics or in some other regular job.
For the most part, Japanese women have gained
enough power to avoid working in the sex trade. Foreign
women have taken their place. Japan' s government and
most Japanese ignore the exploitation of foreign women,
reducing them to “others” not worthy of concern. Japan-
ese men view prostitutes as a “necessary evil” while
Japanese women note, “For those [foreign] women, it' s
just their way of life.”
A City that Wants Immigrants
Desperate for workers, some cities aggressively pur-
sue foreign migrants. For example, Hamamatsu, a
coastal city of more than 500,000 half way between
T Tokyo and Osaka, is recruiting workers from
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