Migrant Workers in Japan (Japanese Studies) - hardcover

This is the first comprehensive study of migrant workers in Japan. Foreign workers in Japan fall into four categories: those who entered the country illegally; so-called overstayers who entered legally then stayed on past the expiry date of their visas; those who are performing unauthorized labor which their valid visa does not entitle them to do; and people of Japanese descent from Latin America who have been given the legal right to work as unskilled laborers. All types of migrant workers are dealt with here. This book reveals how migrants enter, what difficulties they face, what their living, working and housing conditions are, and focuses on the protection of their human rights. There is detailed information on the situation of migrant workers according to sector, including those in the sex and entertainment industry as well as in manufacturing and construction. Among the topics dealt with are the revision of violations, the role of brokers, unauthorized labor in the guise of trainees, the labor-exporting countries of Asia and Latin America and the position of resident Koreans and refugees. The author argues for the need to respect the human rights of the foreign workers who will unavoidably enter, work and live in Japan. In addition to giving the fullest description of migrant labor in Japan, the work bears upon issues central to labor studies and human rights in general.