Language: English

Speaker: Yunchen Tian (Nichibunken)

Title: Filling the Needs Gap? Local motivations and concerns in Japan’s labor migration governance

Moderator: Tomohiro Machikita (CSEAS, Kyoto University)

Abstract: Although local governments in Japan have long been recognized for their creativity and initiative in crafting policies for newcomer residents, an increasing number have also begun directly supporting local businesses in recruiting and managing foreign workers, often as trainees or technical training interns, since the 2010s. A wide range of local policy initiatives has emerged in recent years, demonstrating substantial innovation and creativity in an area of policymaking rarely considered the responsibility of local governments. What concerns and interests drive these initiatives? How do they compare to those at the national level? Using a novel dataset collected from a 2019 survey of officials in all 1,741 Japanese municipalities, I identify the prevalence, variations, and motivations behind migrant-related policymaking. The liberal migration state model posits that liberal democratic states face tensions between security, identity, markets, and rights in governing migration. However, confirmatory factor analysis of the survey dataset suggests that municipal officials’ responses do not align with these concerns. Exploratory factor analysis instead reveals four alternative, strong factors: interest in issues involving foreigners, concerns about regional decline, interest in regional revitalization projects, and concerns about local capacity. I conclude by discussing the implications for theories of migration governance as well as post-pandemic trends in Japan’s evolving migration landscape, laying out avenues for further research.

Keywords: migration governance, local government, labor migration, regional revitalization

Contact: Tomohiro Machikita (CSEAS, Kyoto University)