In FY 2021, the main research goals were literature review, researching policy regarding international education, and collecting published statistical and interview data among international students in Japan and Germany.
Through the collaboration with Professor Karen Shire, our German counterpart at the University of Duisburg-Essen, the team, with the assistance of 5 research assistants, managed to collect over 120 in-depth interviews with international students in Japan and in Germany. At the same time, we collected policy documents and statistics of international students in Germany. The team set up the qualitative data base for interviews using MaxQDA.
Because of the travel restriction due to COVID, we were not able to do field research overseas. Instead, the field work, combined with an international conference, took place in July, 2022.
The PI analyzed the data from the interviews with Chinese students, and presented the results at the International Conference on International Student Mobility in Fulda, Germany, titled: "The difficulties of an easier path: Chinese students’ educational experiences and school-to-work transition in Germany and Japan."
The presentation discusses Chinese students’ motivations and experiences of studying abroad in Germany and Japan and points out that the process of international education involves different stakeholders whose logics for student mobility might be conflicting. This presentation presents the concept of “socially constructed necessity” to describe the motivations observed among individual students.

Through the project’s prior three years, we understood the development of Chinese Buddhism, on the one hand, in western countries, such as Canada and the US, as the center of Chinese cultural activities. On the other hand, Chinese Buddhism has been reestablishing historical links with original Buddhism sites in Asia to gain authenticity as a part of a state effort to make Chinese Buddhism a global one.<BR>To examine the phenomena, Ashiwa surveyed the presence of Chinese Buddhism in sacred historical sites of Buddhism in India, including Bodhgaya, Sarnath, Rajgir, and Nalanda. She found that Chinese attempts that started in the early 2000s to gain a presence in these sites by investing in renovations, were not working well. These efforts had created tension with local communities, and the institutional presence of Chinese Buddhism was not that visible, even though Chinese tourism has been increasing.<BR>Ashiwa participated in the Global Study Consortium in Leipzig University to discuss issues of ideoscape--the project's organizing concept. Additionally, she conducted fieldwork at Asian Buddhist temples in Leipzig and meet with Dr. Philipp Clart, a scholar of Chinese Buddhism. Interviews at the Buddhist temples in Leipzig made us realize that Buddhist activities in former socialist countries such as Leipzig have strong links with the Buddhism of social and communist countries in Asia, such as China, Vietnam, and Burma that started in the socialist era through the mobilities of people and cultural policies of international cultural exchange among socialist countries

本研究は、日本とドイツにおける高学歴の外国人労働者の雇用と職業経験を比較する。インタビュー調査とアンケート調査を通じて、両国において外国人労働者が企業への就職を希望する際、制度的・文化的な壁に直面することを示した。ドイツでは具体的な技術を求める雇用主の要求が外国人労働者の就職には不利に動く。日本では採用過程で文化的要件が外国人の競争力を弱める。結果として、ドイツと日本の両国において外国人労働者は参入基準が低い部門や中小企業に雇用することになる。これは自国民労働者と外国人労働者の間に労働市場が分離していることを示し、外国人材をより受け入れるためには雇用制度を変える必要性があることを示唆する。

本研究は日本政府が高度人材を歓迎する政策を創設しているが、日本企業は外国人材を留めておくことができないことについて研究した。発見は、以下になる。１、日本企業内で人材を育成する日本企業の仕組みは、多くの外国人従業員が視野に入れているネオリベラルグローバル労働市場とは合致していない。また、日本企業の仕組みは、現代の価値体系である男女平等や多様性と矛盾している。２、日本企業に問題があるにもかかわらず、日本は外国人にとって魅力的な目的地である。なぜなら、機会に加え、文化的魅力が存在するからである。外国人労働者は日本企業を離れるかもしれないが、彼らは必ずしも日本を離れているわけではないのである。

The purpose of this research is to investigate the role that media plays in Chinese migrant lives in Japan, paying particular attention to how their media use reflects changes in Sino-Japanese relations.The research achievements of this project finished in September.1)Dr Coates presented our research findings at several plenaries, guest talks, and international conferences from April to September2)Dr Coates completed a 55 minute documentary film that explores the influence of media practice on young Chinese friendships in Japan. It is currently being submitted to international scholarly film festivals3)Dr Coates submitted several publications that present our research findings28年度が最終年度であるため、記入しない。28年度が最終年度であるため、記入しない

環太平洋地域では種々の移民コミュニティが形成されている。華人や在外インド人のコミュニティだけではなく、日本人、東南アジア各地から発した人々、東南アジアにやってきたアフリカ人もみられる。また、華人についても種々の人々が多様な社会を形成している。本研究では同地域の移民コミュニティの多様さ、近年の変化の大きさについて、具体的な事例研究に基づいて提示した。コミュニティの大きな変化と多数の移動する者を支える背景として、交通、運搬、通信、送金の便が向上したことが挙げられた。また、長期間居住する移住者ではなく、短期間の滞在を頻繁に繰り返す「頻繁な移動者」に注目したコミュニティの描写への試みがされた

環太平洋地域では種々の移民コミュニティが形成されている。華人や在外インド人のコミュニティだけではなく、日本人、東南アジア各地から発した人々、東南アジアにやってきたアフリカ人もみられる。また、華人についても種々の人々が多様な社会を形成している。
本研究では同地域の移民コミュニティの多様さ、近年の変化の大きさについて、具体的な事例研究に基づいて提示した。コミュニティの大きな変化と多数の移動する者を支える背景として、交通、運搬、通信、送金の便が向上したことが挙げられた。また、長期間居住する移住者ではなく、短期間の滞在を頻繁に繰り返す「頻繁な移動者」に注目したコミュニティの描写への試みがされた。

本研究は、日本における移民と、移民国家であるオーストラリアにおける中国、韓国、ブラジルからの移民またベトナム難民の第１と第２世代の人々が、受け入れ社会に対してどのような市民意識と帰属感を持つかを比較研究することによって、日本社会が「移民国家」となりうるのかを検討することを目的とした。インタビューとアンケート調査を通して、同じ国からの移民が受け入れる環境が異なると、違った市民意識とアイデンティティーが形成されることがわかった。その結果、多様な背景をもつ市民を受け入れる日本側の課題が明らかになった。

During this financial year, our project team's major efforts were made in the following two areas. First, based on the data we have already accumulated and in order to be able to conduct meaningful comparative analysis, we adjusted the focuses of the project and did a new wave of data gathering. In particular, Farrer (PI) aimed to compare the first generation immigrants' socioeconomic mobility patterns and their sense of belonging in Japan. Since data on Nikkei Brazilians was not sufficient, she and her research assistant conducted fieldwork--both participant observation and focus group discussion--among this group of immigrants in Kanto Area. This research effort gives insights to the causes for different mobility trajectories between different immigrant groups in Japan, especially in accounting for the socioeconomic mobility gap between Nikkei Brazilians and the Chinese and Koreans. In addition, after finishing gathering the data in Australia, Kawakami (CI) continued to gather data among second-generation Vietnamese immigrants in Japan, so as to be able to compare their identity and belonging in these two different immigrants contexts.
The other main research activity this year was data analysis and preparing research reports for publication. Tajima (CI) and Zhao (Research Collaborator) presented their research paper at the Japanese Society of Sociology Annual Conference. Farrer presented at several international conferences and symposiums. One of her articles is published in Asian Pacific Migration Review (SSCI journal).

本研究は、在日外国人の社会移動を分析することを目的に立ち上げられた。「ニューカマー」と言われる在日外国人が急増した1980代以降、彼らは、これまでどの程度、そしてどのように社会的地位の向上を成し遂げてきたのか。在日ニューカマーの体系的なデータを収集することで、人の動きと社会移動の関係を見極め、新たな視点から日本の不平等問題について考察することを試みた。初年度は、調査票の準備と質的データの収集に従事し、二年目は、質的データから得られた知見を基に、インターネットを通した量的データを収集した。最終年度は、インターネット調査を継続することでサンプル数を拡大し、その後、データ整理と分析を行い、結果の一部を国内外の学会で発表した。データの分析は現在、継続中であるが、ニューカマーの社会移動のパターンは、出身階層ではなく、出身国-地域により大きく異なること、そして、日本社会に同化することが必ずしも彼らの経済達成には結びつかない事が明らかになった

世界の急速な構造変動に対する高等教育の国際化のあり方の変化について、理論・国際動向・実証の各側面から総合的に検討した。第一に、各国の高等教育の国際化が、各々の国内・国際双方の文脈の違いにより異なること、第二に、各国が確実にグローバルな変化への対応をより強く迫られていること、第三に、高等教育のイニシアティブの多極化が進行し、日本の高等教育の国際的位置づけに大きな影響を及ぼしていることを明らかにした。

世界の急速な構造変動に対する高等教育の国際化のあり方の変化について、理論・国際動向・実証の各側面から総合的に検討した。第一に、各国の高等教育の国際化が、各々の国内・国際双方の文脈の違いにより異なること、第二に、各国が確実にグローバルな変化への対応をより強く迫られていること、第三に、高等教育のイニシアティブの多極化が進行し、日本の高等教育の国際的位置づけに大きな影響を及ぼしていることを明らかにした。

今日のグローバル化による日本・中国間の活発な経済、文化交流の発展に伴い、日本における中国人就職者が急増している。法務省の統計によると、留学ビザから就職ビザに変更した元留学生の三分の二を中国人元留学生が占めている。それらの中国人元留学生たちは日本企業において、中国関係のビジネスを中心に活躍している状況である。本研究の目的は、日本の企業に勤めている中国人就職者(元留学生)の就職状況とキャリア移動(転職、昇進、職種変更など)を調査・研究することであった。当初の研究実施計画では、東北大学の中国人卒業生を対象として、アンケート及びインタビュー調査をする予定であった。また、そのアンケート回答者の中から10人ないし15人を抽出し、キャリア移動の具体的なプロセスや動機がわかるように、個人訪問をしてフォローアップインタビュー調査をする予定であった。しかし、個人情報保護法の影響により、東北大学卒業生名簿が本研究に使用できなくなった。そこで、研究代表者は平成19年の夏末から秋にかけて関東地方の中国入団体を訪問してアンケート調査の可能性を探り、日本国際貿易促進会の中日関係企業データに収録された1600社の日本企業を通して、中国人就職者(元留、学生)にアンケートを配布することにし、準備を進めた。

This project focused on Nepalese immigrant restauranteurs and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their business operations, living arrangements, and the plight of their employees. In total, we collected 30 in-depth interviews with Nepalese restaurant owners (15) and Nepalese cooks (15) who worked in these restaurants in Tokyo between August 2020 and March 2021.&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; Immigrant restaurants are precarious during normal times because they have more legal constraints and less access to the host society’s institutional resources. For services and supports most rely on personal, and especially co-ethnic, networks. These networks both help and exploit the co-ethnics. The prolonged COVID pandemic since early 2020 has devastated the restaurant industry around the world and has put even more strain on businesses run by immigrants, exposing the structural vulnerability of such businesses and people depending on them for livelihood. Our research indicates the structural vulnerability and ethnic burden these restaurant owners and workers face as well as their strategies to deal with the hardship brought by the pandemic.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Many researchers who study skilled migration in Japan have pointed out that, despite Japanese government's welcoming policies toward foreign workers, Japanese firms have trouble retaining skilled foreign workers. The general consensus is that Japanese firms have problems with their organizational culture. In order to understand whether it is the problems of Japanese firms or that it manifests new patterns of career mobility, this research has proposed to investigate the situation in Germany, a country that is not a traditional immigrant country, uses a national language that is not English, and has a distinct national culture.&nbsp;The researcher conducted the pilot study in August , 2017 in Dusseldorf. By participant observation in a German language intensive course and interviewing foreign workers working in German firms, the research has found that:1) There are many similarities between foreign employees working in German firms and those in Japanese firms. Immigrant employees in German firms also share some of the cultural and social issues with immigrants in Japan.2) In the globalizing world, skilled migrants are increasingly seeing global geographic mobility as an integral part of individual career mobility. Multiple migrations are common among immigrant employees in Germany.&nbsp;

This project focuses on foreigners' as well as Japanese employees' experiences working in Japanese firms that attempt to globalise their businesses as well as their workforce. In collecting the narratives of their work experiences, the study aims to understand the nature of the difficulties corporate Japan has had in attracting and retaining foreign talents.&nbsp;Based on our interviews with close to 20 foreign employees who have been working in Japanese firms and several Japanese employees and managerial personnels this year, this study finds that the apparent difficulty for foreigners to adapt to Japanese organisations, aside from work style and office culture, &nbsp;seems to have to do with the different meanings foreign employees and Japanese employees attach to work and career as well as the uncertainties Japanese firms treat foreign employees. What Japanese employees view as the instrumental and intrinsic values of work are related to a commitment to the firm which are more consistent with the firm's organisational logic. On the other hand, both Japanese firms and foreign employees have a more ambivalent understanding of the nature of their employment. This sometimes leads to frustrations and high turnovers.&nbsp;A theoretical framework of this study is presented at AAS-in-Asia Conference in June, 2015.

２０１４年8月４日～２０１４年８月２５日・中国上海でアメリカ、オーストリア、ヨローパへの投資移民を申請した、あるいはしている10名以上の個人対象者の聞き取りをした。又、二つの移民仲介会社に訪れ、フォーカスグループを行った。その成果を "Outmigration of the Rich and the Shaping of an Elite Class inContemporary China"というタイトルの論文にして、国際ジャーナルChinaQuarterlyに投稿した。または、２０１５年２月１２－１４日に、”Japan’sNew Immigrants: Capturing the Changing Ethno-scape in a Globalizing Japan”という国際シンポジムを開催し、 この分野の研究している国内或いは国外の研究者との意見交換ができた。このシンポジムで発表された論文をSocial Science Japan Journalで特集として投稿する予定がある。又は、共著の本を編集する企画がある。

Research Goal: The purpose of this special research grant is to partially conduct the proposed Kaken Kiban-B project that failed to obtain a grant during the FY 2011-2 and prepare for the Kaken application due in October 2011. The original research goal for the proposed Kaken Project is to investigate the citizenship consciousness and sense of belonging among different immigrant groups in Japan, and compare them with those who have migrated into Australia, a more classic immigrant country. Due to the limited funding, the researcher was only able to investigate the Chinese immigrants in Japan, and taking advantage of a conference trip to the U.S., compare them with Chinese immigrants who have settled in the U.S.--another classic immigrant country. Research activities: The main research activities during this period is fieldwork. This project employed 4 Waseda University MA students to conduct interviews and transcribing these interviews. During the course between June, 2011 when the funding started and mid-November, 2011 when the funding ended (because my Kaken Kiban-B project was finally approved), with the help of these research assistants, we were able to interview 44 Chinese immigrants in Japan, including both 1st generation immigrants who have been in Japan for over 5 years and 1.5 generation immigrants who arrived in Japan before the age of 12. These interviews yielded valuable insights into the Chinese community in Japan. In order to understand the Chinese in Japan better, the researcher also conducted fieldwork among settled Chinese immigrants in the U.S. because the research needed to go to a conference there in any case. In the Southeast of US, the researchers met with an ethnic Chinese anthropology professor, Guo Zibin, from the University of Tennessee, in order to better understand the Chinese community there. The researcher also interviewed settled Chinese professionals in North Carolina. This overseas fieldwork provides wider perspectives for understanding the Chinese in Japan. Self-evaluation of the research progress and outcomes:This was a particular productive research year, thanks to the help of the 4 capable and diligent RAs. This research grant allowed me to collect a lot of data efficiently and established solid empirical and theoretical foundation for the kaken kiban-B project that is on-going now.

This project proposed to understand international students’ career aspirations and how they perceive the opportunity structure in Japanese labor market. Based on my research among the Chinese student migrants in Japan, I hypothesized that both home country’s economic situations and the transnational economic ties between home and host countries affect international students’ labor market participation and their career outcomes in Japan. Because of the limit of budget, the actual fieldwork was reduced in the fiscal year. With the assistance of students, I surveyed and interviewed with international students at Waseda University. Following are some findings from this investigation. 1) Employment prospect did influence whether students aspire to remain in Japan upon graduation. For example, among government funded international students, Southeast Asian students were more likely to feel that they were bound to service their home countries upon finishing their designated degrees in Japan. It scarcely crossed their mind that they might look for employment in Japan. In comparison, Chinese, North American and European students, except for JDS students, were more likely not only to consider staying in Japan, but also to find employment in Japan upon finishing their target education. 2) Most privately funded international students expressed interest in working in Japan if employment was possible and also participated in organized recruiting events. There was this awareness that Japanese companies, especially globalized firms, were actively recruiting international students. But the degree of aspiration was different among European and North American students and East Asian students, especially Chinese students. Chinese students demonstrated a stronger aspiration to work in Japan upon graduation. They were more active in participating in the institutionalized job searching process. 3) While European and North American students were more likely to look for jobs in their home country companies, and chose to stay in Japan partly because of the difficulty in reentering the labor market in their home countries, Chinese students are more aware of their occupational niche in Japanese firms. Many expressed their conscious choice of positions involved in the transnational economy between Japan and China, and believed that their career advantages lied in such occupational niches.