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- Convenor:
-
Igor Saveliev
(Nagoya University)
Send message to Convenor
- Discussant:
-
Natalie-Anne Hall
(Cardiff University)
- Format:
- Panel
- Section:
- Anthropology and Sociology
- Location:
- Lokaal 2.20
- Sessions:
- Sunday 20 August, -
Time zone: Europe/Brussels
Short Abstract:
The present panel aims to look at three dimensions of cultural diversity in Japan that are yet to receive sufficient attention: labor migration patterns of Vietnamese, the minority ageing problem with a focus on a Korean day care facility and the activities of local nongovernmental organizations.
Long Abstract:
Societal aging and resultant labor force shortages are pressing global issues. Most developed economies are already experiencing or are soon to experience this problem. Japan was the first among the top world economies to face this challenge and began revising its migration policies. While the existing scholarship on foreign labor and minorities in Japan mainly focuses on the most commonly known ethnic groups such as Nikkeijin, ethnic Chinese, and some others, the present panel aims to look at three dimensions of cultural diversity in Japan that are yet to receive sufficient attention. The first paper examines the labor migration patterns of Vietnamese, who suddenly became the second largest group of foreign residents in Japan. Drawing on in-depth interviews with technical trainees (ginō jisshūsei) in both Vietnam and Japan and materials from Vietnamese recruiting companies, this paper will examine both the controversies of the system and positive outcomes of the “technical training” system in Japan, showing how the careers of former trainees developed after their return to Vietnam. The second paper will look at the minority ageing problem. Drawing on a twelve-year participant observation in a day care facility in Nagoya and in-depth interviews with the facility users and caregivers, this paper explores how this facility provides care-giving services, adjusts to Korean culture, and helps elderly Koreans reaffirm their ethnic identity, which many of them had masked throughout their lives. Based on a variety of sources including in-depth interviews in three prefectures across Japan and materials from seminars and public discussions on NGO activities, the third paper will examine the recent activities of local nongovernmental organizations in providing preschool and Saturday-school education to children of migrants. The paper will analyze the forms of cooperation between the local governments and NGOs to identify possible causes of insufficient progress of these activities and potential solutions.
Accepted papers:
Session 1 Sunday 20 August, 2023, -Paper short abstract:
Based on in-depth interviews in three prefectures in different areas of Japan and a variety of other sources, this paper will examine the recent activities of local nongovernmental organizations in providing preschool and Saturday-school education to children of migrants.
Paper long abstract:
The recent growth and diversification of the foreign population in Japan has prompted discussion on ways for promoting migrants’ social integration and participation in various local community activities. While most of these debates are held at the regional level, the cooperation between nongovernmental organizations from different areas is still beginning. Local governments encourage, sponsor and support such activities, while their success often depends on the commitment of key-people who lead such organizations and coordinate various events. Based on in-depth interviews in three prefectures in different areas of Japan, materials of seminars and public discussions on NGO activities and a variety of other sources, this paper will show that support given to foreigners, their success in social integration and the broad range of problems they face in their everyday life vary depending on the region and these regional disparities still need to be overcome. The paper will examine the recent activities of local nongovernmental organizations in providing preschool and Saturday-school education to children of migrants, analyze the forms of cooperation taking place between local governments and NGOs, and identify possible causes of insufficient progress of these activities and potential solutions. While these activities and practices still seem to be disjointed and fragile, they pave the way for the stronger integration of foreigners and the creation of a more inclusive society.
Paper short abstract:
Drawing on a twelve-year participant observation in a Korean day care facility in Nagoya and in-depth interviews with the facility users and caregivers, this paper explores how this facility was established, adjusts to Korean culture, and helps elderly Koreans reaffirm their ethnic identity.
Paper long abstract:
While population aging in general is increasingly considered a serious social problem that requires multiple issues to address it, ethnic minority aging is an even more complex issue, which has not so far been given sufficient attention. This applies especially to elderly members of minority groups in Japan, where this is a comparatively new problem. The first generation of ethnic Koreans and some members of the second generation have already entered this age category. Until 2000, they had limited access to social welfare, putting some of them at risk. However, after a long-term care insurance system was established in Japan that year, ethnic Koreans and all other ethnic minority members obtained access to caregiving. This allowed second-generation Koreans to establish day care facilities for the generation of their parents in Osaka, Nagoya and other cities. Drawing on a twelve-year participant observation in such a day care facility in Nagoya and in-depth interviews with the facility users and caregivers, this paper explores how this facility was established as a form of ethnic business, how it provides care-giving services, adjusts to Korean culture, and helps elderly Koreans reaffirm their ethnic identity, which many of them had masked throughout their lives. The paper emphasizes that these new ethnic-minority spaces also provided opportunities for the older-generation users to transmit their memories to younger-generation caregivers. In this sense, such minority day care facilities could be considered sites for the construction of collective memory among this ethnic group and the strengthening of inter-generational ties.
Paper short abstract:
Drawing on in-depth interviews with technical trainees in both Vietnam and Japan and materials from Vietnamese recruiting companies, this paper will trace their careers in order to examine both the controversies and the positive outcomes of “technical training” in Japan.
Paper long abstract:
Not even the COVID-19 pandemic could impede the ongoing contract-labor migration from Vietnam to Japan. Vietnamese, most of whom are short-term workers, became the second biggest group of foreigners in Japan, surpassing the long-standing Korean minority. Currently, they comprise 15.5% of the foreign national population. Why does this country lead Southeast Asia in terms of sending workers to Japan? This paper demonstrates how this dynamic stream of labor was created by a combination of the disastrous economic situation in rural areas of northern Vietnam and the “Technical Intern Training System” (ginō jisshūsei seido), introduced in Japan in 1993. Drawing on in-depth interviews with technical trainees (ginō jisshūsei) in both Vietnam and Japan between August 2019 and present time and materials from Vietnamese recruiting companies, this paper will trace their careers in order to examine both the controversies and the positive outcomes of “technical training” in Japan. While most of them experienced hardships and had to create their own strategies for developing their careers after the completion of their training, which are not always directly related to the program’s initial goals, their experiences in Japan often allow them to find a way to cope with this task successfully. The paper will identify the main actors of the recruitment process and show how the step-by-step migration pattern, which made Vietnamese cities its main link, gradually evolved into a more dynamic model, which allowed the recruitment of potential trainees directly from rural areas. The paper will draw on statistics provided by mediating organizations along with fieldwork including testimonies from VP Corporation, an important labor broker company in the capital of Hanoi, and so-called supervising companies (kanri kikan) in Japan. Several case studies will reveal the experiences of Vietnamese trainees who spent years working in Japan.