Japanese Policies on the Rights and Benefits Granted to Foreign Workers, Residents, Refugees and Illegals

Abstract

The principal difference between Japanese and US immigration, refugee and citizenship policies is that the United States considers itself a country of immigration, while Japan does not. Should Japan become a country of immigration and accept foreigners as migrants? Such a question, which seems to me impossible to ask, will be discussed as a policy matter elsewhere in this volume; this paper discusses how foreigners coming to Japan are treated, given their legal status, and what kinds of rights and benefits accrue to them. Foreigners who work fall into several categories: foreign citizens with permanent resident status, foreign visitors with work permits, refugees (who will be discussed in Chapter 14 by Isami Takeda), descendents of Japanese, and so-called “illegal” foreign workers who are overstaying visas and/or employed without work permits. The rights and benefits discussed here are related to visa status, registration, naturalization, marriage, application of the employment laws, social security, education, criminal liability and community life.