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Paper short abstract

This study examines older Japanese Brazilians in Japan and their experiences of aging as well as their perceptions on social well-being. Based on qualitative survey data, this study also aims to investigate the broader socio-cultural issues that Japan is facing through the lens of aging.

Paper long abstract

Japan is said to be a “super aging society,” and it is estimated that by 2030, more than 30% of Japan’s population will be aged 65 or older. Along with an aging populace is the aging of the “Other,” or the ethnic minorities—both oldcomers and newcomers—that have made Japan their home. Discussions on Japan’s aging society have left out the aging realities faced by these non-Japanese minorities, as focus has been skewed towards the need for foreign workers to address labour shortage and mitigate Japan’s inadequate pension system. Meanwhile, discussions on multicultural co-existence or tabunka kyousei seldom take into consideration the needs of older migrant and minority groups.

This study examines the experiences of older Japanese Brazilian migrants in Japan as they reach their older years. Most of these Japanese Brazilians entered Japan upon the amendment of the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act in 1990, which made it possible for people of Japanese descent to live and work in Japan indefinitely. Based on qualitative survey data gathered in 2025, this (ongoing) study investigates these migrants’ perceptions of aging outside their countries of birth, as it relates to their own perceptions on social well-being–particularly its social and cultural aspects—as long-term migrants in Japan. Using this particular case, this study also aims to address the following questions: 1) How do older ethnic minorities and migrants experience aging in Japan? 2) What can aging tell us about broader socio-cultural issues that Japan is facing?

This study argues that the aging experience of migration is gendered and intertwined with one’s own cultural and social capital. In addition, language and communication, one’s status of residence, spirituality and religion, and the presence or absence of family are also deemed significant. This study aims to shed light on the challenges that older migrants in Japan are facing as they navigate the aging process with their lived realities as migrants. It also suggests that aging-in-place as a shared reality between migrants/minorities and the Japanese challenges the concept of tabunka kyousei.

Keywords: Japan, Japanese Brazilians, aging, migrants and minorities, social well-being