Brazilians go home!
Jun Okumura at GlobalTalk 21 seems to come out in support of the government program that pays nikkei with special visas to leave and not come back indefinitely. Here's specifically what he says:
The government payoff in exchange for a ban of indefinite duration from Japanese soil is the other side of the coin, an option—the choice is up to the immigrants. I would go along, probably support, a cooling-off period of definite duration, but the ban is not permanent, as the report claims. Of course there is a good chance that the “indefinite” may end up being “permanent” if the Japanese economy continues to underperform. That is why many of those immigrants are sticking it out.
If you'd like to read with more context, then the entire article is, Is Japan Trying to Kick out Some of the Paltry Number of Immigrants?
I stated the following in the comment section:
Consider, if I am a Nikkei living in Japan and having difficultly finding work, one option might be to go back to Brazil (or Peru or wherever) and work there. Now if I have money to do so, I can maintain my visa in Japan, and return to Japan at a later time (via a reentry permit).
Think about it. As difficult as it might be to believe, for some of these Nikkei, Japan is now their home. They have friends, contacts, a community. Leaving that isn't easy, but at least they have the right to return. How much is the right worth? I doubt its something you want to put a price tag on.
Now, what if I am down and out and don't have the money for a plane ticket home. Well, I decide I'll just have to hunker down and do my best in Japan. But then the government steps in and says, hey buddy -- that's no problem, we'll give you the money. But there's a catch ... you can't come back (until we say so) ...
That is, the program has nothing whatsoever to do with *helping* some Brazilians go "home", but only with giving them money to leave. Basically a bribe to get them out of the country. This is far from being humanitarian and is actually quite cold and callous.
It sends a strong message that those being bribed are not desired in the country. This, of course, is the exact opposite of the message they probably got when they were enticed into the country. The government is clearly of two faces here.
Are you saying this is all okay? The principled thing for the government to do would be either nothing, or to have further extended some type of aid to help people in these communities. The ticket home program stinks to high heaven. You don't pay residents to leave the country anymore than you pay *citizens* to leave the country. It's just not done. I doubt the program will be much of a success, and it will rightly be seen outside of Japan as more evidence of the Japanese government's xenophobic outlook.
I am optimistic that at least in this area the DPJ might be able to show a more enlightened policy. But I won't hold my breath.
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It's important to note that
It's important to note that this policy doesn't say "you can't come back"; it says "you can't come back on the same automatic Nikkei visa exemption as before." If the economy picks up and Toyota decides to sponsor a bunch of work visas to get access to that cheap labor again, they could return to the country on that basis.
Another thing to note is that this "take the money and leave" policy was part of a package that also included funding for language classes and jobs training programs. The government's approach was a bit more balanced in terms of trying to help people find new work or leave the country on a subsidized ticket if they chose not to. That's something that has gotten no attention in the English-language press, at least that I have seen.
Not to say, of course, that there aren't major problems with the way this population has been and is being treated in Japan, but I don't really get the outrage over this offer of money.
It's important to note that
Hi Durf,
Thank you for your comment.
You said, "If the economy picks up and Toyota decides to sponsor a bunch of work visas to get access to that cheap labor again, they could return to the country on that basis."
I don't understand what you are saying. Toyota would need to sponsor them as specialists in some way. The restrictions are pretty serious, and most these workers don't possess the kind of skills that would enable them to get these types of visa. So, I think as a practical matter, they can't come back in until the ban has been lifted. (Currently the government is suggesting they will lift the ban in three years, but there is no guarantee.)
You also said, "The government's approach was a bit more balanced in terms of trying to help people find new work or leave the country on a subsidized ticket if they chose not to."
I disagree with this analysis and spell out why in my most recent blog post. The government is willing to spend much more money to send Brazilians home than it is to train them. My guess is there is some socialist calculations taking place here.
Spain and South Americans
I'm not sure on the specifics, or whether or not South American immigrants are banned, but Spain offers a similar program. The Spanish government offers South American immigrants a certain sum of money to take back home and start a business. This has gone into effect since immigrants have formed roughly 10% of the Spanish population.
Spain and South Americans
Thanks I looked into this. That's right. They are working out some kind of socialist calculation and thinking it's actually cheaper if they go back home. However, the Japanese policy is far worse than the Spanish one. Japanese don't get paid nearly as much, the numbers don't add up at all, *and* the government has not guaranteed those leaving can come back in.
Here is a link by the way to a WSJ article discussing issues similar to this one:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124087660297361511.html