# **I. Introduction**

Since the revision of the Japanese immigration law in 1990, there has been a dramatic influx of Latin Americans, mostly Brazilians, of Japanese origin ( _Nikkeijin_ ) working in Japan. This is mainly because the revision has basically allowed _Nikkeijin_ to enter Japan legally even as unskilled workers, while the Japanese law, in principle, prohibits foreigners from taking unskilled jobs in the country. In response, the number of these Latin American migrants has increased from practically zero to more than a quarter of million. According to the statistics provided by the Japanese Ministry of Justice, the number of Brazilians staying in Japan increased from about 4,000 in 1988 to 268,332 in 2002. In 2005 the number further increased to 302,080. The migration of _Nikkeijin_ is likely to have a significant impact on both the Brazilian and Japanese economies, given the substantial amount of remittances they send to Brazil. The impact is likely to be felt especially in the _Nikkeijin_ community in Brazil. While the number of _Nikkeijin_ in Brazil is estimated to be a little less than two million, about a quarter of million _Nikkeijin_ migrant workers from Brazil are currently in Japan. In other words, about one in every eight _Nikkeijin_ s in Brazil is living in Japan. Given the high rate of return/circular migration, practically every _Nikkeijin_ household has one member of the household with some working experience in Japan.

In spite of their importance, the detailed characteristics of _Nikkei_ migrants and the prospect for future migration and remittances are under-researched. The major purpose of the present paper is therefore to examine the migration and remittance issues as well as their policy implications pertaining to _Nikkeijin_ working in Japan. Although the main focus of the paper is placed on _Nikkeijin_ workers, some discussions of migrant workers in general and the government policies towards foreign workers are also included since these issues are not widely known to non-Japanese.

The paper is organized as follows. The next section examines the history of Japanese emigration to Latin America (mostly Brazil). This section is indispensable for understanding the characteristics of return migration of _Nikkeijin_ to Japan. Section III discusses general trends and issues regarding immigration in Japan. Section IV, the core section of this paper, describes the major characteristics of _Nikkeijin_ workers in Japan including the place of their residence, the types of their work, the duration of their stay, and the difficulties these _Nikkeijin_ migrants face. The section also draws attention to the present situation and future prospect of remittances to their home countries. In addition, the section reviews policies of the central and local governments towards _Nikkeijin_ workers. Given that the number of _Nikkeijin_ workers has dramatically increased and they tend to be clustered in several cities (e.g. Hamamatsu, Toyota, Toyohashi, and Oizumi), the social and economic impacts of _Nikkeijin_ workers on these cities are likely to be substantial. In response, governments as well as NGOs are making various efforts to create harmonious living of _Nikkeijin_ workers within Japanese communities. Finally, Section V briefly notes the limitation of existing studies and describes the _Brazil Nikkei Household Survey_ , which is being conducted by the World Bank Research Group at the time of writing this paper. The availability of the survey data will certainly contribute to