Japan

Postdoctoral project on temporary labor migration in Japan, starting on 1 February 2027

Japan has only recently started to officially admit labor migration, but the country has long supplemented its domestic workforce via ethnic return migration and so-called traineeships. The myth of ethnic homogeneity is changing only slowly despite a doubling of the number of permanent residents as well as temporary work visas issued between 2014 and 2023. In fact, Japan has gradually become an immigrant country but the necessity of the Japanese language and a distinct employment system make the country one very difficult to integrate. Under severe demographic pressure Japan will not be able to sustain its economic wealth without drastic measures. A range of new visa categories, including in so-called semi-skilled and low-wage sectors like elderly care, nursing, and construction, have been created over the past 15 years and have started to change the employment landscape throughout Japan. Finally, the declining labor force and aging society have put migration on top of the agenda of daily politics and international relations, and (temporary) migrants’ increasing interaction with different segments of Japanese society a lived experience necessary to explore.