Japanese-Brazilians and the new “Brazilian diaspora”

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

Japanese-Brazilians are the third largest ethnic minority group in Japan. The influx of these newcomers has increased since 1990, after the reform in the Japanese immigration law, which opened the doors to foreigners of Japanese descent, or Nikkeijin. This influx was labeled as a “U-Turn” or “Dekassegui” phenomenon, meaning that people with Japanese roots, children and grandchildren of Japanese immigrants, had “u-turned” to Japan as “temporary money-earners” (the meaning of “dekassegui” in Japanese) - mainly as unskilled laborers.
Due to these specificities, scholars have paid (perhaps too much?) attention to the “Nikkei” factor when they tried to analyze the issues related to integration and the identity dilemmas of Japanese-Brazilians. Instead, I have called attention to the significance of the “social class” factor to understand the challenges faced by these migrants.
Japanese-Brazilians have been discussed mainly from a bi-national perspective, which means, as a phenomenon that occurs on the route between Brazil and Japan. This paper proposes a broader perspective, contextualizing Brazilians in Japan in the new “Brazilian diaspora”. Brazilian migrants allover the world are said to totalize more than 2 million. Transnational networks and connections are increasing among Brazilians living in Japan, USA and Europe. The first “Brazilians in the World” Conference was held in 2008. And in 2010, Brazilian government has launched the CRBE (Council of Brazilian Representatives Abroad). In the “mediasphere”, TV Globo, the biggest Brazilian network, has held big festivals named “Brazilian Day” around the world. In this paper, I will examine how Brazilians in Japan are reacting to these new developments, while reviewing the 20 years of the “Dekassegui” history. I will also take a look at the recent Japanese government policies towards Nikkeijin, as well as the social and cultural activities by Brazilians in Japan.

목차 (Table of Contents)

• 1. Introduction
• 2. Terminology-Considerations about the term “Dekassegui”
• 3. Conclusion
• 《References》
• 《Abstract》