In the last decade, Japan has seen a sharp increase in labour migrants and research shows these migrants don’t always integrate easily and are often the subject of discrimination. Research on...Show moreIn the last decade, Japan has seen a sharp increase in labour migrants and research shows these migrants don’t always integrate easily and are often the subject of discrimination. Research on migrants, however, has mostly focussed on either the barriers to integration on the work floor or on the policies of the government, without focus on integration. This thesis links these two important research bodies, by studying immigration policy in relation to integration on the work floor. Using Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) and a case study of the recent amendments of the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition act, it studies the attention given to the topics of labour, national security and human security. Results show that even though the government its policies play a key role in integration, the act holds little attention to the social aspect of integration. This social aspect consists of preventing discrimination and creating mutual understanding between Japanese citizens and migrants. Analysis shows that even though more labour opportunities to enter Japan were created in the amendments in 2014 and in 2018, migrants taking those opportunities (HSM, Technical Intern Trainees, SSW and health & care workers) still have difficulty integrating in Japan.Show less
Since the start of the Syrian civil war, 11 million people have been displaced from their homes and 5 million of them have had to flee to neighboring countries and beyond. As the UNHCR calls for...Show moreSince the start of the Syrian civil war, 11 million people have been displaced from their homes and 5 million of them have had to flee to neighboring countries and beyond. As the UNHCR calls for action and encourages governments to open their borders in the face of what they have labeled “the biggest humanitarian refugee crisis of our time”, Japan’s borders remain largely closed to the inflows of refugees - Japan only admitted a total of 28 refugees in 2016. The explanations that the government has been offering about why the system is such a strict one are closely related to national identity building through political discourse. Japan’s prime minister Shinzo Abe has said that Japan must prioritize national issues before being able to welcome foreign migrants. This statement points towards the key role that a homogeneous society is utmost important in the build-up of Japanese national identity. How does the rather small number of refugee inflows, despite its minimal impacts on Japanese politics and society, remains so unwelcome in Japan? This thesis will provide the reader with a deeper understanding of this question by looking at the impact nationalism plays in Japanese society, the way its collective history is portrayed and in the Japanese migration policies.Show less
