by Natsumi Ichioka

In Japan, there are many Filipinos. I have a half-Filipino friend. She is not an illegal immigrant. Her mother comes to Japan and she cannot speak Japanese very well. On the other hand, my friend can speak only Japanese. I think there are some problems in her family.

First, she lives in poverty compared to the Japanese house. She cannot go to university, because her mother gets sick, and she has no afford of money and time. Secondly, her father was not a good worker. Her mother manages a snack bar, and sometime her father helps her mother. I think this situation is not DV, but terrible situation for her and her mother. In addition, she can only speak Japanese though she grew up in the Philippines until she was 3 years old. She cannot speak Tagalog language. She had some communication troubles with her mother because of the different languages.

As I mentioned, there are many troubles in the immigrant family. This situation will be more terrible for the illegal migrants. In Japan, July 9 in 2012, “the 60-year-old” certificate of alien registration was seized. Foreign residents will be given a “residence card”. This change has some merits. At the same time, it will appear the troubles in the illegal immigrants in Japan.

In Japan, illegal immigration is against the law. They have to go back their country forcibly. If they go back to their country, there is a trouble in language. Like my friends, some people can speak Japanese only, because they have grown up in Japan. They will have some hard troubles in their country not only language but also some cultures. On the other hand, In Japan they are not guaranteed the basic human rights. They are forced to live in terrible conditions everywhere.

Form these points, Japan needs to make a new law which guarantees the illegal immigrants with some conditions. As first step, I think Japan needs to take in the two ways of regulating of nationality: by place of birth and by blood lineage like France. For example children who live more than 5 years in Japan have the rights to get the nationality. If they can do so, they can live more actively in Japan. They are also guaranteed the basic human rights.

Secondly, Japan should change the immigration control act. Actually, there are some people who are in Japan illegally. They have some aims to stay in Japan. The government should think about their human rights. If they do not commit some crimes, they are not bad people. The government should take more exceptional instances for the serious immigration people.

Japan tries to welcome the foreigner, but they cannot take an act now. We need to make a new situation which more foreigners want to come in Japan and live in Japan. It is important to keep the past situation, but the world is changing. Japan has to change more international country.

References

http://www.gcnet.at/countries/europe/eu-cl-short.htm ヨーロッパ諸国の国籍法

http://www.moj.go.jp/nyuukokukanri/kouhou/nyukan_nyukan87.html 法務省