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Paper short abstract

This study examines migrants’ experiences of Japan’s post-2023 immigration and refugee policies through the lenses of differential inclusion and layered precarity, by combining policy analysis with qualitative research, including interviews with immigrants from Türkiye and field observations.

Paper long abstract

Revisions to the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act(ICRRA) were passed in 2023, aiming to address controversial issues in Japan, such as low refugee recognition rates, challenges in the detention system, repeated asylum applications, and overstays. Together with accompanying measures introduced in subsequent years, including special residency grants for families with children born in Japan, revisions in ICRRA reshaped the legal conditions of immigrants and asylum seekers, yet their everyday consequences are unexplored.

Addressing this gap, this study examines real-life implications of post-2023 policies for immigrants from Türkiye, a group increasingly visible in public debates as non-recognized asylum seekers, focusing on social inclusion, access to services, and strategies for achieving legal stability using the frameworks of differential inclusion and layered precarity.

The study adopts a mixed-methods approach, combining critical policy analysis of legislative documents and governmental notifications with qualitative research. Qualitative data includes semi-structured interviews with Turkish immigrants in Saitama Prefecture, complemented by participant observation through community engagement and work as an immigrant consultant and interpreter.

Post-2023 policies produce differential inclusion through fragmented access to rights and services, resulting in layered precarity. While some migrants on provisional release obtained residency status through special grants, improving access to services, others experienced no change, status loss, or shifts to supervisory measures without meaningful improvements in daily life. Many remain excluded from health insurance and lawful employment, continuing to face deportation. Introduction of additional restrictive measures, such as the inability to renew driving licenses, further exacerbates social exclusion and access barriers. Legal outcomes are often fragmented within families, with partial family recognition intensifying insecurity and constraining decision-making, while bureaucratic nontransparency heightens uncertainties. Furthermore, the overvisibility of Turkish immigrants in public debates and social media, combined with policy changes, heightens their precariousness as they face growing hate speech and anti-immigrant sentiment. Some migrants pursue alternative pathways to legal stability, such as employment-based visas, but these remain limited due to restricted networks and complex procedures.

By foregrounding migrants’ experiences, this paper contributes to migration and refugee studies on Japan by demonstrating the everyday consequences of Japan’s post-2023 policies for immigrants from Türkiye, which remains understudied.