Prying Open the Door: Foreign Workers in Japan
In this penetrating study, Takashi Oka, drawing on forty years of experience as a foreign correspondent for the Christian Science Monitor, Newsweek Japan, and the New York Times, brings to light the curent trend toward a more heterogeneous Japanese labor force.
Source: Washington, DC: Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 1994
Immigration is a sensitive issue in most societies today and Japan is no exception. In this penetrating study, Takashi Oka, drawing on forty years of experience as a foreign correspondent for the Christian Science Monitor, Newsweek Japan, and the New York Times, brings to light the curent trend toward a more heterogeneous Japanese labor force. The report questions the traditional notion that Japan is a closed society, as it is perceived both at home and abroad. It focuses on Japanese policy toward foreign workers and new social dynamics brought about by economic prosperity and demographic shifts. The author closes the discussion with near- and long-term recommendations that include consideration of illegal-alien amnesty laws, health care coverage, and the adoption of comprehensive domestic and regional immigration strategies.
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