Japan’s Immigration Policy: Closed Front Door and Performative Migration Cover Image

Japonijos imigracijos politika: užvertos paradinės durys ir performatyvi migracija
Japan’s Immigration Policy: Closed Front Door and Performative Migration

Author(s): Daiva Repečkaitė
Subject(s): Politics / Political Sciences
Published by: Vilniaus universiteto leidykla & VU Tarptautinių santykių ir politikos mokslų institutas

Summary/Abstract: Among the so-called post-industrial countries Japan is exceptional with regard to immigration policy. Despite the supply of foreigners who would like to live and work in Japan, as well as the demand for their labour, the government succeeds to maintain its restrictive policy and construct a discourse which conceals the nature of labour migration to Japan. Based on academic literature on migration to Japan, as well as on qualitative research in Tokyo, conducted during the two-month-long fieldwork, this paper argues that the patterns in which the official discourse and the legal framework conceals labour migration push foreigners to craft their identities accordingly, and engage in “performative” migration, which, in turn, is met with suspicion from the government.

  • Issue Year: 2009
  • Issue No: 4
  • Page Range: 103-126
  • Page Count: 24
  • Language: Lithuanian
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