ABSTRACT

On the other hand, the number of newcomers is increasing. Newcomers are those who came to Japan after the 1970s. The newcomers came from various backgrounds. Some were post-World War II, war-displaced Japanese women and orphans (and their descendants) from China, who returned to Japan after the latter revived its relationship with China in 1972. These people are called “returnees” from China and, according to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, number approximately 20,000. These returnees also bring their relatives, making the estimation of their total population 100,000 (Araragi, 2000). Some were the refugees from Indo-China. In the 1980s, the Japanese government accepted about 10,000 refugees from Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. Since the Immigration Control Law was modifi ed in 1990, the number of migrant workers from South America has increased. They are mainly Japanese descendants from Brazil and Peru. Additionally, there are the foreign spouses of some Japanese. Some Japanese men, often those who are socially less privileged, have arranged marriages with Asian women from other countries.