Fighting for Foreigners

W. Shipper Apichai

Description

Although stereotypically homogenized and hostile to immigrants, Japan has experienced an influx of foreigners from Asia and Latin America in recent decades. In Fighting for Foreigners, Apichai W. Shipper details how, in response, Japanese citizens have established a variety of local advocacy groups-some faith based, some secular-to help immigrants secure access to social services, economic equity, and political rights. Drawing on his years of ethnographic fieldwork and a pragmatic account of political motivation he calls associative activism, Shipper asserts that institutions that support illegal foreigners make the most dramatic contributions to democratic multiculturalism. The changing demographics of Japan have been stimulating public discussions, the political participation of marginalized groups, and calls for fair treatment of immigrants. Nongovernmental organizations established by the Japanese have been more effective than the ethnically particular associations formed by migrants themselves, Shipper finds. Activists who initially work in concert to solve specific and local problems eventually become more ambitious in terms of political representation and opinion formation. As debates about the costs and benefits of immigration rage across the developed world, Shipper's research offers a refreshing new perspective: rather than undermining democracy in industrialized society, immigrants can make a positive institutional contribution to vibrant forms of democratic multiculturalism.

Sujets

• Histoire
• Advocacy group
• History of Asia
• Activism
• Japan
• Migration

Informations

• Publié par: Cornell University Press
• Date de parution: 02 mai 2011
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780801461828
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

Fighting for Foreigners

Fighting for Foreigners

Immigration and Its Impact on Japanese Democracy

Apichai W. Shipper

Cornell University Press Ithaca and London

Cornell University Press gratefully acknowledges receipt of a subvention from the University of Southern California School of International Relations, which helped in the publication of this book.

The฀views฀expressed฀in฀this฀book฀are฀those฀of฀the฀author฀and฀do฀not฀ necessarily฀reflect฀the฀views฀of฀the฀U.S.฀Department฀of฀State฀or฀the฀U.S.฀ Government.

Copyright © 2008 by Cornell University

All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in a review, this book, or parts thereof, must not be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher. For information, address Cornell University Press, Sage House, 512 East State Street, Ithaca, New York 14850.

First published 2008 by Cornell University Press First printing, Cornell Paperbacks, 2016

Library of Congress CataloginginPublication Data

Shipper, Apichai W. (Apichai Wongsod), 1968–  Fighting for foreigners : immigration and its impact on Japanese democracy / Apichai W. Shipper.

p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978–0–8014–4715–0 (cloth : alk. paper) ISBN 978–1–5017–0441–3 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Immigrants—Japan—Political activity. 2. Aliens—Japan—Political activity. 3. Illegal aliens—Japan—Political activity. 4. Alien labor— Japan. 5. Japan—Emigration and immigration—Government policy. 6. Emigration and immigration law—Japan.7. Democracy—Japan. I. Title. DS832.7.A1S55 2008 320.952—dc22 2008015708

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For my parents, Ranoo and Sander Shipper

Preface Abbreviations

Note on Conventions

Contents

1. Introduction: Associative Activism

2. Controlling Foreigners: Japan’s Foreign Worker Policy

3. LongDistance Nationalism: Political Activities of Immigrant Ethnic Associations

4. Democracy of Illegals: Organizing Support for Illegal Foreigners

5. Local Partners: Local Governments and Immigrant Rights NGOs

6. Foreigners in the Public Sphere: Contesting Prevalent Social Meanings

ix xiii xvii

1 25

59

88

128

156

v i i i C o n t e n t s

7. Conclusion: Foreigners and Democracy

Appendix Index

188

203 207

Preface

At the beginning of the third millennium, the development of capi talism has reached a point where capital, ideas, and people move readily across national boundaries. Globalization, as this stage of capitalism is now called, poses a challenge for many thinkers in the new millennium. It chal lenges us not only to understand how globalization positively or negatively affects societies but also to find imaginative rules and institutions to ensure that globalization works justly for those 200 million people who live and work in a country other than the one they were born in. Japanese capital ism, which is known for its innovative business practices and institutions, can be expected to offer new ideas on such rules and institutions to students of comparative immigration politics. This book explores Japan’s immigra tion laws and institutions and their impact on its democracy. This project originated at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) where I received my graduate training. I greatly appreciate the guidance of my thesis committee: Richard Samuels, Michael Piore, Benedict Ander son (from Cornell), and the late Myron Weiner. They have shown me a