The Impact of European Immigration Policies on Multicultural Coexistence in Japan
The Impact of European Immigration Policies on Multicultural Coexistence in Japan
Wednesday, 9 July 2025: 00:30
Location: ASJE019 (Annex of the Faculty of Legal, Economic, and Social Sciences)
Oral Presentation
Japan has accepted a large number of foreign workers as fact, although it does not officially accept immigration. In response to the ongoing multiculturalisation of society, the Japanese Government has adopted a policy of multicultural coexistence. This calls for intercultural understanding, communication between cultural groups and equal relations between cultural groups, and reflects the ideal of multiculturalism that has developed in Europe and Canada. However, this government policy, which does not recognise the social rights of immigrants, has been severely criticised.
On the other hand, in the absence of a national immigration policy, multicultural coexistence has been implemented at the local government level in response to the increase in the number of foreigners. Specific measures are mainly focused on providing services for foreign residents and reducing problems caused by language and cultural differences, and not much has been done to promote the independence of foreign residents and their participation in the local community. However, from the perspective of diversity, some municipalities are trying to establish coexistence with foreign residents as a vitality of the city.
This study focuses on the recent policy process of such foreign residents in the municipalities, which is known as Multicultural Coexistence 2.0. These municipalities have formulated their guidelines by referring to the policies of European migrant catchment cities. Many local authorities in Japan have formulated ‘guidelines and plans for the promotion of multicultural coexistence’, some of which make reference to Western multiculturalism and interculturalism. Therefore, this study scrutinises these guidelines and plans, with particular emphasis on the parts that address the policies of European cities. We will investigate and examine how Japanese local authorities perceive the policy trends in Europe and try to utilise them in their policies for multicultural coexistence. We reconsider the future of multicultural coexistence in Japan, where further multiculturalisation is expected.
On the other hand, in the absence of a national immigration policy, multicultural coexistence has been implemented at the local government level in response to the increase in the number of foreigners. Specific measures are mainly focused on providing services for foreign residents and reducing problems caused by language and cultural differences, and not much has been done to promote the independence of foreign residents and their participation in the local community. However, from the perspective of diversity, some municipalities are trying to establish coexistence with foreign residents as a vitality of the city.
This study focuses on the recent policy process of such foreign residents in the municipalities, which is known as Multicultural Coexistence 2.0. These municipalities have formulated their guidelines by referring to the policies of European migrant catchment cities. Many local authorities in Japan have formulated ‘guidelines and plans for the promotion of multicultural coexistence’, some of which make reference to Western multiculturalism and interculturalism. Therefore, this study scrutinises these guidelines and plans, with particular emphasis on the parts that address the policies of European cities. We will investigate and examine how Japanese local authorities perceive the policy trends in Europe and try to utilise them in their policies for multicultural coexistence. We reconsider the future of multicultural coexistence in Japan, where further multiculturalisation is expected.