From “Foreign Workers” to “Illegal Residents”:

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  • 「外国人労働者」から「不法滞在者」へ
  • 「外国人労働者」から「不法滞在者」へ : 1980年代以降の日本における非正規滞在者をめぐるカテゴリーの変遷とその帰結
  • 「 ガイコクジン ロウドウシャ 」 カラ 「 フホウ タイザイシャ 」 エ : 1980ネンダイ イコウ ノ ニホン ニ オケル ヒセイキ タイザイシャ オ メグル カテゴリー ノ ヘンセン ト ソノ キケツ
  • Changes in the Categories of Irregular Migrants and Its Consequences in Contemporary Japan
  • 1980年代以降の日本における非正規滞在者をめぐるカテゴリーの変遷とその帰結

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<p>This paper discusses how the category of “illegal residents” became legitimate in Japan and its consequences by tracing changes in the usage of categories referring to irregular migrants. In the 1980s, the number of migrants coming to Japan increased significantly. They were referred to as japayuki, female migrants who worked in the sex industry, or “foreign workers,” male migrant workers who were largely unskilled. These terms were used based on migrants' gender and occupation, rather than residential status.</p><p>However, in 1990, a revision of the immigration law created a distinction between “legal” and “illegal” foreign workers, which affected the stratification of migrant labor markets. In addition, for administrative purposes, the Japanese police introduced a category of “illegal residents” as “criminals.” Subsequently, although civil society criticized the distinction between “legal” and “illegal” and alternative categories such as “workers” and “residents,” this difference spread to other fields as well. Since the 2000s, the Japanese government has introduced some countermeasures targeting illegal residents as part of its actions supporting the “War on Terror” and against “foreign criminals.” The latter measures aimed to decrease the number of illegal residents by half in five years. In this manner, over time, the category of “illegal residents” diffused and became legitimate.</p><p>Today the government bases its policies regarding the exclusion of irregular migrants on the category of “illegal residents,” which strengthens the legitimate status of this category. In addition, this category affects the rise in public anxiety surrounding foreign criminals, which helps avoid arguments on the establishment of migration policy in Japan.</p>

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