ABSTRACT
From the earliest stages of the kan’yaku imin (government-sponsored emigration) program,2 problems prompted official attempts to control the laborers through selection and social pressure. Hazama and Komeiji, for example, cite low morale, gambling, drinking, and absconding among the pioneer 1885 group (1986: 22; also see Kimura 1988: 6-7). Recruitment drives were increasingly limited to more “successful” rural communities and according to more stringent participation limitations. In addition, officials tried to modify the behavior of emigrants through education and moral suasion. Specifically, the government distributed the Rules for Migrant Workers and forced emigrants to sign pledges of good conduct, and also issued gubernatorial proclamations. These documents reveal the Japanese government’s perspective regarding the emigration program: potential for economic gain, but also risk of national embarrassment. Officials tried to improve emigrant behavior, and therefore Japan’s international position, by appealing to practical benefits, personal pride, family connections, group and legal obligations, and benefits accruing to fellow Japanese.
