Recent Trends in Ethnic Geography in Japan

Abstract

Abstract:This study explores recent trends in ethnic geography in Japan . Although ethnicity was not an important theme of research for geographers in post-war Japan , ethnic geography has developed since the 1980s. Initially, Japanese migrants and spatial segregation were major themes , and very few articles on ethnic minorities in Japan appeared in selected geographical journals published in Japan. However, since the mid-1990s, the number of the case studies on ethnic minorities in Japan, both oldcomers and newcomers, has increased rapidly. Recently , humanistic and radical approaches have been added to the domain in which Japanese ethnic geographers have been interested, although traditional approaches still seem to be useful. Furthermore, geographers' contributions are expected in interdisciplinary ethnic studies. Thus, many frontiers still remain for Japanese ethnic geographers.

Transnational migrants and the socio-spatial superdiversification of the global city Tokyo

“…With larger population groups of Chinese and Koreans but also of other Southeast Asian nationals in the metropolitan region, Tokyo has areas with relatively high percentages of foreign residents, such as Shinjuku (over 10%) or Minato (7%), in contrast to the less than 2% of the total Japanese population. In this respect, ethnic towns and other ethnic group-based changes in the neighbourhoods within Tokyo have been well researched, with different transnational or multicultural groups as study objects (Ishikawa, 2021; Lie, 2004; Oishi, 2008). However, the dynamics and complexity of spatial diversification that are not yet empirically thoroughly covered are the migration and spatial inclusion of the migrant groups of transnational professionals.…”

“…In fact, the change in Japan's migration policy to open its doors to lower skilled migration, as a belated countermeasure to the labour shortage caused by the shrinking and ageing society, is now causing changes in the differential inclusions in cities (Ye, 2017(Ye, , 2019Yeoh, 2006), including in Tokyo. Whereas spatially, ethnic towns and the concentration of ethnic communities in less privileged or even deprived areas of Tokyo have much been described and discussed (Ishikawa, 2021;Lie, 2004;Oishi, 2008), the interesting phenomenon of newer arrivals from the diversified group of high-status migrant professionals of transnational corporations has not yet found much attention.…”