Japan's Immigration Policy

[Akakage]

I will be going to Japan in October to live and work for a year, and I have been looking for as much information as possible on Japan and daily life so I can handle the culture shock.

I came across this article that talks about the change in the immigration laws that will coming in the future for Japan. It's good information for any who are planning on coming here in the future.

How Immigration Policy is Trying to Change With the Times

At the beginning of this year the Japanese government announced certain changes it is hoping to introduce to the immigration system in early 2009. One of these changes is the introduction of a language component to the visa application process.

Currently, skilled workers applying for a working visa in Japan do not need to demonstrate any knowledge of Japanese language. The proposed changes could see an element of language testing introduced that would enable someone who was applying for an extension of their visa to be granted one for five years (under current regulations the maximum length of stay is three years). The government stressed that any language tests would not be compulsory to acquiring a visa and that the usual routes for people with no language skills would still be open. The changes are intended to increase opportunities for long-term stay for people who, without the changes and under the present conditions, may find it difficult to do so.

Unsurprisingly, the announcements received mixed reviews from all sectors of society. Some foreign workers make a great deal of effort to acclimatise to Japan and its culture including studying and becoming proficient in Japanese. These people welcomed the announcement, as they felt it acknowledged their efforts and rewarded them for it. Others were slightly more cynical, believing that the changes would act as a barrier to entry. This, in turn, would make other countries where no such testing exists, such as Hong Kong and Singapore, more attractive destinations. Mr. Masahiko Komura, State Secretary for Foreign Affairs of Japan, insisted that from the government’s view, the modifications are an attempt to deregulate the current system and open it up more. A look at the wider picture reveals that there may be more than one benefit to these proposals.

While Japan is not the only country facing the difficult issues that an ageing population brings, the demographic shift currently occurring is happening so quickly that issues related to it, such as gender roles, social support, work-life balance, and immigration are suddenly being forced on to centre stage. Prevailing conditions and attitudes within society mean that changes to the status quo are often felt quite acutely, making any implementation a monumental task.

Traditionally homogeneous, the question of immigration into Japan is probably still one of the most sensitive. The government conducted a survey last year in several areas of Japan where the local population is struggling to cope with a high percentage of foreign workers. More than 50% of the foreign respondents surveyed indicated that they would welcome more interaction with local Japanese people, while less than 10% of the Japanese respondents reciprocated the same desire. In view of this, the changes suggested by the government could be seen as a way to appease the local population to what is likely going to be a large influx of foreigners into the country in the next few years. (To give an idea of the potential numbers involved, to maintain population levels at 2006 figures would require an additional 650,000 people to move here annually.) While immigration is unlikely to occur at this intensity, as more companies cite their need to employ people from overseas, the demand-driven influx of foreign workers is unlikely to pass by unnoticed. If the government can assure residents that they are doing everything they can to make this a smooth process then they may also hope that there will be less resistance to it.

So how could encouraging foreign workers to learn Japanese help? Experience is showing that assimilation of large groups of foreigners, especially in the more rural areas where jobs tend to be, is not always easy or smooth. A government official from one such area speaks of a “constant, low-level tension” that includes differences of opinion over matters such as parking spaces, noise, and rubbish. Encouraging people to speak Japanese could be a way to introduce them to the culture while making them more sensitive to community expectations, although there is no guarantee that one will necessarily lead to the other. Britain, which recently added a language component to their visa requirements, simultaneously introduced a “citizenship test.” This simple test requires people who want to live and work in the UK to show that they have some understanding of how society operates. Something similar in Japan may help to alleviate some of these more localized problems, as it will ensure that newcomers gain an insight into how their community functions on a daily basis and what part they are able and expected to play in it. It would be a way to “sensitize” them to life in Japan. With this in mind, it would probably be more appropriate to introduce such a test in the initial stages of somebody’s stay and certainly no later than one year after their arrival.

Another hope that the government may have in trying to stimulate interest in learning Japanese is the growth of the Japanese language industry overseas. This would have the added benefit of introducing Japan to large numbers of people who may never have considered it previously. If someone can speak the language, it stands to reason that they are more likely to want to visit. In the case of young people, it could further their interest and induce them to move here for work.

There is no one easy answer and for every solution proposed, a dozen more problems are unearthed. Recognizing where potential lies must be key to government policy and one angle that cannot be overlooked must surely be the encouragement of people from other countries to not only come to Japan for work but to put down roots and make a real, positive, and long-lasting contribution to society in general. With ever-greater stress being put on Japan to open up, issues of protectionism and security are necessarily brought to the table. Officials do at least seem to be moving some way towards deregulating the immigration system, but these latest announcements suggest that they are not intending to make any sudden changes very soon.

[Sangetsu]

This law is designed primarily for Brazilian auto workers, who, for the most part, haven't seemed to want to learn or to speak Japanese. Most other workers in Japan do not stay for so long. Teachers get 1 to 3 year visas, as do most other professionals who work in the country. Most professional jobs require little Japanese knowledge, and as most assignments to Japan are usually temporary, there is no great need to learn the language.

Auto workers, on the other hand, often work in the factories for many years. For safety's sake, and for the sake of preventing a non-literate second class of people to develop, the visa plan is a good idea.

[kireikoori]

Originally Posted by Sangetsu

Haven't seemed to want to learn or to speak Japanese.

That is unfortunate.
If you go to another country, it's should be expected that you want to make an effort to learn their language. Especially if you plan on living there.

Also, why do most professional jobs not require knowledge of Japanese?

[Shanis]

I think it´s like in the netherlands, as an immigrant you don´t get the high class jobs from beginng (i don´t even think you ever get them as long as you need a visa to stay there) so you only get the jobs in which you don´t have to talk much, or you have to talk in english (or spanish or so).... But is it possible to stay in japan forever and live there (and don´t forget the work ). I personally would try it, as a teacher or cook or something like that.

[Paul11]

Speaking of culture shock: Get the book "Culture Shock: Japan." You will thank me. It will help you understand when you are feeling it and how it comes and goes in waves. Had a chap, after being in country a few months, I've been nervous and find myself doing things I wouldn't normally do. (don't read too much into that.) If he knew what he was dealing with he might have done better. i know that's only one example.

When you thank me, a simple gift card will do. Any major retail chain will be fine.

[Nyororin]

Originally Posted by Paul11

Speaking of culture shock: Get the book "Culture Shock: Japan."

Yes, get that book if you want to read an entirely negatively biased view of Japan - with unpleasant comments on pretty much every aspect of Japanese life and culture. Get the book if you want to talk yourself out of visiting or living in Japan.

I *really* hate that book. Yes, it presents a fair amount of useful information... But almost all of it is wrapped in a veil of negativity. If you`re expecting awful culture shock, you`ll start looking for it... and find it. Some people really do have problems adjusting to another culture, but I do not feel that reading something negative toward the other culture is going to help them at all. It just makes the shock more acute, and gives them an even worse attitude toward it instead of trying to understand and overcome it.

In other words - I highly discourage reading that book. Unless, of course, you want to hunt down any reason you can not to enjoy Japan.

[Paul11]

Originally Posted by Nyororin

Yes, get that book if you want to read an entirely negatively biased view of Japan - with unpleasant comments on pretty much every aspect of Japanese life and culture. Get the book if you want to talk yourself out of visiting or living in Japan.

I *really* hate that book. Yes, it presents a fair amount of useful information... But almost all of it is wrapped in a veil of negativity. If you`re expecting awful culture shock, you`ll start looking for it... and find it. Some people really do have problems adjusting to another culture, but I do not feel that reading something negative toward the other culture is going to help them at all. It just makes the shock more acute, and gives them an even worse attitude toward it instead of trying to understand and overcome it.

In other words - I highly discourage reading that book. Unless, of course, you want to hunt down any reason you can not to enjoy Japan.

well, the point of the book is to prepare one for the difficulties of living in Japan and recognize the psychological stress of being a stranger in a strange land there. I don't think it left me with a negative impression of Japan. there are criticisms of any community and I don't think it's negative to understand them.

You know from previous conversations I don't believe in being romantic about a place, even if it's a place one loves. I take the good with the bad and enjoy it anyway. I have new kitten that my three-year-old girl named "Ice Cat." I love that kitten, even though i know she will attempt to scratch my furniture and leave hair all-over my clean house. I must be aware of the difficult stuff to deal with this cat because if I think it's going to be all hugs, purrs and head bumps i would be in for a rude awakening.

Does that analogy make any sense?

I loved "Dogs and Demons" by Alex Kerr, too. A person who loves and lives in Japan, but has written a social critique. I'm sure you hated it if read?

[Nyororin]

Originally Posted by Paul11

I loved "Dogs and Demons" by Alex Kerr, too. A person who loves and lives in Japan, but has written a social critique. I'm sure you hated it if read?

No. That book was accurate, and was about the real problems in Japan. They were presented realistically, not with a big scoop of the author`s personal dislike of things.

In other words - there is a difference between critiquing problems in social structure (governmental in the case of Dogs and Demons)... And just negatively poking at every aspect of normal Japanese life.
It is indeed VERY different. I`m sure that you would feel different about reading a book talking about the shortcomings of the US government and why they ended up this way than, say, a book looking at every aspect of American life and culture with derision. One of those books points out a problem which can potentially be solved. The other points out something(everything?) the author found irritating, and bashes them. In the process the book drags down everyone else who reads it.

I read Culture Shock originally because three different people told me that after reading it, there was no way they could imagine staying in Japan long term. They couldn`t understand how I could deal with it, and were glad they`d be out before things in the book "kicked in". So of course, I was curious what they were talking about.

My opinion is that it`s a book written by one of the long term foreigners who live in Japan for financial reasons and possibly family reasons, but does not like it. Does not want to be here. The type who picks apart aspects of culture and compares them to the "superior" culture they grew up with.

I`m all for presenting the reality of Japan - but this book wraps it in so much negative emotion that it`s impossible to simply see it as culture, instead you`re asked to see it as a flaw. That is unfair, and would be unfair to do to any culture. The only way to "fix" the cultural "flaws" would be to get rid of the culture itself.

The author presents information with a heavy bias. Of course, if you`re already negatively biased against Japan and Japanese culture, this book will likely support you and seem "neutral". It`s not.

While I respect you and your opinions, Paul11, things you`ve said in the past about long termers in Japan lead me to believe that you fall into that group.

[rina26]

Ok, now I'm going to have to read both books.

IMO anyone who's mind could be changed over one book/one person's perspective didn't really want to do it to begin with.

[Paul11]

Originally Posted by Nyororin

No. That book was accurate, and was about the real problems in Japan. They were presented realistically, not with a big scoop of the author`s personal dislike of things.

In other words - there is a difference between critiquing problems in social structure (governmental in the case of Dogs and Demons)... And just negatively poking at every aspect of normal Japanese life.
It is indeed VERY different. I`m sure that you would feel different about reading a book talking about the shortcomings of the US government and why they ended up this way than, say, a book looking at every aspect of American life and culture with derision. One of those books points out a problem which can potentially be solved. The other points out something(everything?) the author found irritating, and bashes them. In the process the book drags down everyone else who reads it.

I read Culture Shock originally because three different people told me that after reading it, there was no way they could imagine staying in Japan long term. They couldn`t understand how I could deal with it, and were glad they`d be out before things in the book "kicked in". So of course, I was curious what they were talking about.

My opinion is that it`s a book written by one of the long term foreigners who live in Japan for financial reasons and possibly family reasons, but does not like it. Does not want to be here. The type who picks apart aspects of culture and compares them to the "superior" culture they grew up with.

I`m all for presenting the reality of Japan - but this book wraps it in so much negative emotion that it`s impossible to simply see it as culture, instead you`re asked to see it as a flaw. That is unfair, and would be unfair to do to any culture. The only way to "fix" the cultural "flaws" would be to get rid of the culture itself.

The author presents information with a heavy bias. Of course, if you`re already negatively biased against Japan and Japanese culture, this book will likely support you and seem "neutral". It`s not.

While I respect you and your opinions, Paul11, things you`ve said in the past about long termers in Japan lead me to believe that you fall into that group.

Not biased. I have too much time, education and personal things invested in Japan to be biased against Japan. I don't remember all the negative things the book said about Japan, it was too long ago. But I remember, as someone educated in anthropology and the study of culture, the book really helped me understand the trends a person experiences with culture shock. It helped me recognize when my autonomic cues were expressing stress, what is was and how to deal with it. There's culture shock for any foreigner in Japan and it comes in waves at somewhat regular intervals. That awareness is a huge thing to take away from the book whether one agrees with the authors specific likes/dislikes about Japan.