About 600 thousand Korean Residents are living Japan, and they nationality is “Korea (朝鮮籍)”, “Republic of Korea (韓国籍)”, and “Japan (日本籍)”.  That history is started in 1910, when Japan amalgamated with Korea peninsula.  In 1945, Japan was defeated in WWII, when a lot of Korean was living in Japan.  When Korean resident had “Japan” citizenship.

In 1974, Japan government promulgated “Command of Foreign Registration (外国人登録令)”, that later, Korean residents became “Foreigner” in Japan.  When they haven’t Nationality, because Korea was not country.  They “Foreign Registration” have written “Korea”.  That is symbol of “From Korea”.  Some time lather, Republic of Korea (ROK) and Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea (DPRK) was founded in Korea peninsula.

In 1965, Japan had entered into diplomatic relations with ROK that made “ROK” citizenship Korean resident.  Before, Korean resident haven’t Nationality, however if they get “ROK” citizenship, they can change “From Korea” to “ROK” citizen.  When a lot of Korean resident changed “From Korea” to “ROK”, because “ROK” and diplomatic relations country citizen can get right more than “Symbol”.

In Japan, “Korea” mean DPRK, however, that not truth.  A lot of Japanese think “Korea” nationality people is “DPRK” citizen. However, DPRK nationality does not exist in Japan, because Japan and DPRK haven’t diplomatic relations.  “Korea (朝鮮籍)” is meaning “From Korea” only.  So, they are stateless person.  In this case, why Korean resident are keeping “Korea”? Some Korean resident think “Korea” mean “Unification Korea”.  Because, Korea peninsula is cutting DPRK and ROK, however they have spirit of Unification Korea.  Some Korean resident have “I’m DPRK citizen spirit”.  For example, CHONG Tae-se has “ROK” nationality, but he is player national team of DPRK.  He has spirit of DPRK citizen.

Korean resident have a lot of problem that is too.  Korean resident problem gave by Japan government.  Japan government should change policy of Korean resident.  Korean resident citizenship problem have one of most important problem.  And Japanese people should understand Korean resident problem.

by Kazuki Baba

What do you think about “brain drain” ?

The meaning of this term is the people who live in own country has gone to somewhere.

I thought that “How the county to be?”. I can not state positively, but it is said that brain drain has some bad points. Brain drain means the exportation of　people who have good skill. Now, the world focus on the globalization. A lot of conuntries depend on the foreign countries. Their jobs does not work without their help. People focus on from the brain drain to brain circulation. On the other hand, brain circulation is to study other country and develop the country or their country.

Some suppliers are worry about the fear of less and less talent. Actually, centuries ago, some people are absorbed as workers. If governments take a policy to encourage the talented person, it become easier to back their place. China take support for them to give the money and held the meetings. Knowledge or technology they bring takes a big role. How about small town and country side? These places will prosper.

The suppliers hesitate to send people to other country. They think it creates the rival in the world. It is difficult, but it is ok if the country will be good. The people who change it also will be praised. Now that we have to cooperate to each other. Furthermore, it stimulates them to be more experienced person.

We can communicate with devices. In past, there was no technology, but now it improves, we can use telecommunication. For example, we can say the TV-phone, cell-phone and PC. We do not so worry than before.

In addition, they will come home. They bring their skill. They study abroad and gain new skills or improve traditional skill. They will help their countrys, too.

In conculusion, I agree to the promotion policy of brian circulation. I found more advantages to brain circulation than without it. People contribute the society where they are sent off, and most of them will come home. Is it win-win relationship, isn’t it?

References
[New York Times – A Japanes exports] 2011/11/26
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/24/business/worldbusiness/24braindrain.html?pagewanted=all

by Rie Murata

First of all, I would like to tell you about what ethnicity is.  Ethnicity means that the fact of belonging to a particular culture, language, where you were from, and religion.  In short, you have an identity who you are.

What is the difference between assimilation and ethnicity?  It is that whether or not you keep on having your own identity in emigrated country.

In the past, some Japanese moved to the U.S.  There is Little Tokyo in Los Angeles, Seattle and so on, but now it outdates.  Most of present Little Tokyo’s shops are managed by Chinese or Korean and this area is not safe now.

Many of Japanese-American cannot speak Japanese, they cannot read and write Japanese.  Because of world war Ⅱ, Japanese-Americans were really segregated, and American government put them into custody.  Japanese-Americans tried to be “American”, and they wanted to express that they are not hostile foreigners.  Under the adverse condition like I told before, they tried to fit in the U.S society, and Japanese-Americans are called as Model minority.

I think it is because most Japanese who emigrated to the U.S tried to assimilate to the U.S’s society, so they don’t keep in touch with Japanese society.

On the other hand, Chinese or Korean towns are bustling till now.  San Francisco and Los Angeles have large Chinatown.  In Los Angeles, there are large Koreatown.  They have strong identity till now.

To get back to that I told, do you think which is better to have identity in emigrated country or assimilate to emigrated country?

I think you should not make “your home country’s town” because if you live in there, you always speak your own language, you always eat your cultural food, you always watch your country’s TV, and you have no relationship with emigrated country’s people.  In order to live comfortable life in emigrated country, I think you should be kind of emigrated country’s person.  I don’t mean “You must forget who you are!!”  But I think you need a certain level of assimilation as long as you live in foreign country.  How do you think about it?

by Konomi Yamamoto

Immigration of 190 million or more people is in the world, and it is divided into economical and the large reason for political and cultural although the reason is various.  In inside, in order to live for war or poverty, people who become the “refugee” who cannot but emigrate are also.  And 90 percent of refugees are in a developing country, and they tend to have forced labor extremely hard as the cheap labor force.  The poverty which poses a problem ranging over the border is unsolvable only in the country in which the problem has taken place.  A problem induces the following problem.  Poverty is everybody’s problem among the world.  I suggest the way which could help solving the problem.

Have you heard the word of fair trade? Fair trade is giving the producer of a developing country the remuneration corresponding to labor, and is a form of trade of aiding independence of their life continuously.  It is also called “the alternative trade” to the free trade system in use.  This movement that is said to have started in Europe in the 70s, From the 80s, spread quickly and Fairtrade Label Organization (FLO), The international organization could do it and it became possible to attach a label to the goods which passed the screening criterion, and the Fairtrade was adopted also as the major company by birth of this label, and was expanded by it.  Moreover, the aids for improvement in a producer’s life are contained in the prices of fair trade goods as a Fairtrade Premium.

Fair trade is realized to be new business, it is not as a charity and the case where it fights by the merit of quality and the beauty of a design on a fashion community is also seen in recent years.  A typical example is a brand “People tree” of Fairtrade-goods speciality.  The People tree is what British Safia Minney started in Japan, and deals with clothing, miscellaneous goods, food, and various fair trade goods.

It adheres to the height of fashionability, a news hook is given by making Emma Watson into an image model, and it is not that of “buying it, because it is a fair trade”, The stance of “because it was good, I choose it, was fair trade” was taken, and although fair trade goods were expensive, the conventional image that quality was not quite satisfactory was changed.

Although “we can cooperate internationaly only do shopping” and a catch copy are used well as for fair trade, the side which a maker certainly is and buys loads a thing also with the meaning of gratitude, and I think that it stands to reason originally that pays money.

I regard what as it becoming important whether value is considered.  Should not we the consumers think, more and should not do satisfactory shopping through the time of mass consumption?  I thought that it might become clue to poverty solution including immigration.

by Yuri Takayanagi

There are outbreaks of the trouble between the foreign workers and Japanese all over Japan. That means, these troubles are derived from an anxiety about the employment of foreign workers and are related to the labor problem. It is a matter of Japanese labor law included the set of minimum wage system and compulsory work. It is important that for foreign workers, employers should prepare the system same as the Japanese workers, which can applied to the foreign workers. Also, there are more and more action against the company by foreign workers. In the face of these problems, to constructing the place or system where foreign workers and Japanese can discuss these problems is very important. One of the treatments of setting the place is a meeting for the city where many foreign people are living in,  “外国人集住都市会議” in Japanese. This meeting is made by Hamamatsu local government and associations that support cultural exchange between the countries.

It is established 10 years ago and its purposes are to get along with each other (foreign workers and Japanese) and to get the solutions for these regional problems by tackling positively. In 2009, this organization demanded an agency for foreign people in terms of the need to take a policy that regards foreign people as “living people”, because there are a lot of foreign people who are out of work. Besides, the organization is asking to the government for financial assistance and compulsory education for foreign children to enrich the educational environment for the foreign children. In the 28 cities forming the organization, the rate of foreign people who are registered is 4,5 percent. Among them, Brazilians account for 55 percent. The cities where foreign peoples are living together are particularly, related to the company for the auto industry. That means they are one of the regions that faced the drastic cuts in personnel because of the recession in Japan. Especially, the rate of unemployed people is over the 30 percents in some cities among the 28 cities. It is clear that such a situation is disadvantage for foreign workers. Disadvantages for foreign people are from the aspect of culture, like the hardness of subtle communication by language.

In short, the problem is still around us despite of the organization. However, as you know, foreign people have the rights to live and make their livings. Therefore, a new system or reform of conciseness for foreign people is needed not to deprive them of their rights to live. Moreover, a countermeasure for foreign people who lives in out of 28 cities should be prepared. After this, it is necessarily to focus on the rights to live for foreign people because we tend to pay no attention to the minority. It is the problem that we cannot ignore in the globalization.

by Sayaka Kurata

If your friend is an undocumented immigrant, what do you do? When you realize the fact, do you leave him or her? Can you oblivious of it? Do you hide or tell the police about that? If you tell the police, your friend takes punishment. Then, do you keep secret? When you tell everyone nothing about your friend, undocumented immigrant, he or she is not caught. However your friend goes on having a difficult time living in Japan.

Undocumented immigrants cannot contact with police, because it means they take a risk that they are caught. I will tell you about some complex case. First one is a car and a motorbike crashed on a street in Japan, and a man was watching. Both drivers were injured seriously and there is no person without two drivers and a man around there. In usual way, a man should call 119 and 110, and report the accident to police. However, the man was an undocumented immigrant. If you are the man, what can you do? Can you contact with police and help two drivers? If I am an undocumented immigrant, I cannot call 110. I fear that I am arrested. In another case, a woman was swindled a lot of money by swindler. She noticed that was a criminal act, butshe only accepted it with resignationbecause she was an undocumented immigrants. Of course, she could not consult police.

Like the first example, undocumented immigrants cannot notify accidents. It is not good in emergency. Two injured drivers may pass away. Because of undocumented immigrants, crimes may increase in Japan like the second example. She cannot report to police whatever she suffer, so people can bully her, steal her things, and use violence on her. Crimes whose targets are undocumented immigrants cannot stop and it will spread. We have to think how protect immigrants and the system that undocumented immigrants become formal immigrants as many as possible.

by Ayako Ueda

Nowadays there are many immigrants in the world, everywhere. After immigrants arrived to the new country, they might start to look for a house and a job to live there.What job they get? Is there any problem about that? I will focus on the occupation of immigrants in this article.

I would like to show two types of immigrants. One is someone has specific and sophisticated skill,and another one is the general public. The former onetends to be able to get a job which is good salary, such as an engineer.On the contrary, the latter one tends to get a job called “blue collar” such as working at construction site. This is because if a company employs immigrants as a worker, it can hold down salary,compared with citizens of its own country. And also, manypeople tend to avoid doing these jobs, like a meatpacking or working at a factory.The image of these jobs is dirty, dangerous and demeaning (also known as “3D” (in Japan, “3K”)). For example, in a meatpacking, workers use big knives when cutting meat. This operation would be monotonous, so it is likely to be injured such as cut his or her finger. Therefore, immigrants are employed these area to make up the manpower.Yet these works are necessary to keep developing economy, and salary they earned will be social insurance or other systems,thus they became the necessary existence in some countries.

However, as the unemployment rose, some citizens have a complaintagainst this situation. They say that despite there are many citizens who do not have a job, why immigrants have their own job.This tendency is especially strong in the US. To the extreme of this, there is possibility of ousting immigrants from their country to secure the employment. Is there any way how both citizens and immigrants get along in terms of the occupation, not ousting? What do you think?

by Naho Tamada

Massive earthquake suddenly occurred in Tohoku Japan on 11^th of March, unfortunately the number of deaths is counted up about 15,830 which means approximately one out of eight thousand Japanese disappeared. Moreover Japan confront with the big issue relating to our life or the future of our country that is a declining birthrate and aging population. In order to solve those problems, we should change immigrant policy to accept more and more immigrant from all over the world.

In fact, Japan accepts to admit immigrant workers only 925,000 in 2006 from the research of MHLW. According to the article of the Wall Street Journal, Japan is required to accept 10,000,000 immigrants. They would make a large and new demand such as food and clothes, education, employment and tourism. Also those demands would make a new marketplace, and they absolutely revitalize Japanese economics. Unfortunately recently tragic earthquake happened in Tohoku. If immigrants come to there and open a new business for example agriculture, it will directly affect there. Therefore immigration policy should be considered to accept more in order to rebuild Tohoku earthquake and other issues relating to the decline of the population in Japan.

However there will be a lot of problems with today’s immigration system if Japan suddenly accepts many immigrants. Unfortunately Japanese people who deny for this can not easily let them come. Some people would insist that they commit crime in Japan. Or other people might say “they will take our job, and we lose money to earn.” Even though people don’t agree to the new immigrant policy, Japan can not allow them to come. Moreover the present systems or environment for immigrant in Japan is terrible. So firstly, the government should try to persuade Japanese how advantageous it is, and secondary we should try to make environment or systems comfortable for immigrant. Then we as it means Japanese and non-Japanese can live together.

References

-Monthly Report, MIC Statistics Bureau. Retrieved November 25 2011, from

[http://www.stat.go.jp/english/data/jinsui/tsuki/index.htm]

by Masahiro Hatoyama

With the progress of globalization, the number of foreigners who live in Japan has increased. It would be usual that people who live next to you is from other countries. Despite the situation, Japanese people tend to set a boundary between Japanese and non-Japanese all the time. For example, foreigners are never called “Japanese” even if they can speak Japanese fluently and live along Japanese lifestyle. These people would be always called “foreigners” or “foreigners just like Japanese”. Or even if they have Japanese nationality, Japanese people would call them “foreigners with Japanese nationality”. They never use the word “immigrants”. Japanese people are apt to judge whether someone is Japanese or not only by their looks or languages. Why those who are from other countries are never considered as Japanese?

I think their experiences in early life are related to this situation. When I started thinking this problem, these following questions came to mind; how do children are taught about immigration or foreigners who live in Japan? And do they have opportunities to communicate with foreign people? At first, I asked my mother these questions because she is a teacher of elementary school. She said children had no chance to communicate with people from other countries except for ALT and they could learn about only the number of foreigners who live or come to Japan in the textbooks. It is ordinary situation in public schools. In my experience, I have never had a contact with foreigners except for ALT and my teachers said “stay away from them because they might be dangerous.” If one foreign child is in the class, he or she stands out in a negative way and other children would hesitate to speak to him or her.

However, it is not enough just to teach what immigration is or why they come to Japan and learn some languages. It might lead racial discrimination. Government should give children more opportunities to talk or play with foreigners. Then children could naturally learn how to communicate and feel no fear to foreigners. The boundary that we tend to set between Japanese and others will fade away.

In  the future, when Japan starts accepting immigration or refugees and the number of foreigner increases more, they would be left out of the society or communities in this unfriendly situation in Japan. It sometimes might lead conflicts. Unless thinking of people change, foreigners can never assimilate and become “Japanese”. Japanese people are sensitive to learning about foreign countries, but they should watch the situation in Japan now.

by Aya Sadahiro