Facts and Figures

IOM Member State since 1993 Capital: Tokyo Population (2011): 126.5 million Area: 377,930 sq km Language: Japanese Currency: Yen (JPY) GDP per Capita PPP (2010): USD 33,753 HDI Rank (2011): 12 of 187 Remittances (2011 estimate): USD 1,931 million Net Migration Rate (2010-2015): 0.4 migrants /1,000 population Immigrants (2010): 1.7% Women as a Percentage of Immigrants (2010): 55.0% Population under 15 (2011): 13.3% Adult HIV Prevalence (2009): <0.1%

Additional Resources International Migration Law Database National Instruments: Japan Sources and Definitions

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Overview

The number of registered foreign nationals residing in Japan has nearly doubled in the past 20 years, and reached 2.07 million as of end 2011. By country of origin, the largest group came from China, followed by Korea, Brazil, the Philippines, Peru and the United States. About half of the registered foreigners hold permanent resident status, including the so-called “old-comers,” those came to Japan before World War II.

Based on the revised Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act in 1990, Japanese descendants from Brazil, Peru and other South American countries were granted long-term residential permits which allowed them to work and stay in Japan indefinitely. Many of them are working in car factories. Making use of a technical training and internship programme established around the same time, in addition, many foreign nationals have come to Japan from China, Korea and other Asian countries as “trainees” and “technical interns”. Although some regulations concerning the treatment of “trainees” were revised in 2011, the system itself still provides the gateway for mainly Asian migrants to come and work in Japan, while at the same time providing Japanese small / mid-scale companies with the means to make up for the labour shortage.

Japan has entered a period of rapidly dwindling population. A number of rural cities have been experiencing labour shortages in local industry, and have been scrambling for workers of Japanese descent from Brazil. The ratio of foreign residents is about 10 per cent in such municipalities as Hamamatsu City in Shizuoka Prefecture and Oizumi-machi in Gunma Prefecture, compared to 1.6 per cent nationally. Industries ranging from makers of automobiles, household appliances, and so forth to agriculture and fisheries are enjoying the benefits of a cheap foreign labour force. To tackle various challenges posed by an increasing number of foreign residents, some municipalities hosting a large number of foreign residents have formed a coalition group to solicit a comprehensive national migration policy to be formulated by the central government. In the same vein, many local municipalities, private companies and NGOs/CBOs have taken various measures to integrate migrants’ integration measures on their own.

Meanwhile, the population estimate remains grim, indicating that the total Japanese population will shrink to 80 million by 2060, with one adult at productive age having to bear almost one elderly’s social welfare cost.

Given this background, some leading politicians, the business community (Nippon Keidanren [Japan Business Federation], the Chamber of Commerce) as well as experts and academes started discussing and contemplating on a national framework with measures to manage migration to Japan in a more sustainable and humane manner. Such a framework could include specific strategies for acceptance and integration of foreign nationals, and to make migration beneficial to all – migrants themselves, sending communities, and receiving communities. At the same time, the importance of “humanitarian migration” has been increasingly promoted in Japan, including the launching of the pilot refugee resettlement programme in 2009, the protection and assistance to victims of trafficking, particularly those unable to return home, as well as stateless children of Japanese descent.

In July 2012, the current alien registration card system is to be replaced by the new “residential card” system. The effects of this reform on Japan’s overall migration management are to be seen during the course of 2012 and the following few years.

Movement, Emergency and Post-crisis Migration Management

Refugee Resettlement

In December 2008, the Government of Japan announced its decision to accept a total of 90 Myanmarese refugees from Thailand camps in a three-year pilot resettlement project (FY 2010 – FY 2012). The Government of Japan commissioned IOM to conduct the pre-arrival phase which includes: a) logistical support to the Government of Japan interview/selection missions; b) health assessment and treatment; c) pre-departure cultural orientation and language training, and d) transportation from Thailand to Japan. IOM will also facilitate the preparation and awareness-raising of the service providers and local communities in Japan which are to receive the refugees.

Project

• Preparation for and Implementation of the Pilot Refugee Resettlement to Japan

Regulating Migration

Counter-Trafficking

Japan is a destination country of migrants, particularly those from Asia. The Government of Japan is increasingly concerned about trafficking in persons. In support of the Government’s “Action Plan of Measures to Combat Trafficking in Persons” adopted in 2004 and revised in 2009, IOM is commissioned to provide return and reintegration assistance to victims of trafficking. Assistance activities include interviewing victims to confirm their eligibility for voluntary return assistance, evaluating their informed willingness to return home, conducting pre-return security assessments, making the necessary travel arrangements and ensuring that reception and reintegration assistance is provided once they arrive home. In addition, IOM also provides advice and training for the improvement of Japan’s counter-trafficking measures based on lessons learned from the project implementation. The project started in 2005, is continuing to date, and is funded annually.

Project

• Return and Reintegration Assistance to Trafficking Victims in Japan

Facilitating Migration

Support Programme to Facilitate School Education for Foreign Children

The economic crisis in 2008-2009 severely affected migrants in Japan particularly the Japanese descendants from Brazil and Peru many of whom used to work in the car industry. A number of migrant children dropped out from private ethnic schools, where they are were taught in their mother tongue, as their unemployed parents could no longer afford to pay the high tuition fees. Many of these children have difficulties in transferring to Japanese public schools due to the lack of support mechanisms particularly in Japanese language education. The situation produced a substantial proportion of migrant children out of school. This project assists in establishing and running “bridging schools” for these out-of-school-children to facilitate their transfer to the Japanese public school system. During Japan’s fiscal year 2011, a total of 39 bridging schools were established in various parts of Japan. A parallel activity of the project is a comprehensive review of the current teaching materials and methodologies in Japanese-as-a-Second-Language (JSL) education. While the project was originally foreseen for three years (2009 to 2012), it has recently been extended for another three years ending in April 2015, given the achievements as well as the remaining needs of migrant children in Japan.

Project

• Support Programme to Facilitate School Education for Foreign Children

Migration Policy and Research

IOM provides expert advice to various migration policy initiatives led by the government, public officials, business community, and academes in Japan. In collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, IOM encourages dialogue on acceptance and integration of foreign nationals in Japan by co-organizing annual international workshops. IOM also organizes other migration dialogues in cooperation with research institutes, international organizations, embassies, local governments, and NGOs.

Last updated:
Main text: March 2012
Facts and figures: May 2012