People protest in Tokyo against Japanese PM Shinzo Abe’s legislation clearing the way for more foreign workers. Photo: Bloomberg
Japan: now open to foreign workers, but still just as racist?
- Japan is opening its doors to blue-collar workers from overseas to fill the gaps left by an ageing population
- Resident ‘gaijin’ warn that the new recruits – whom the government refuses to call ‘immigrants’ – might not feel so welcome in Japan
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Racism
People protest in Tokyo against Japanese PM Shinzo Abe’s legislation clearing the way for more foreign workers. Photo: Bloomberg
Samsung is one of South Korea’s best known companies. But the country’s economy is suffering from the dominance of a handful of huge firms. Photo: Reuters
Why South Korea and Japan are slowly learning to accept foreign workers
- Falling birth rates and economic jitters are prompting insular South Korea and Japan to open their doors to migrants
- But with popular resistance to immigration lingering, they face an uphill struggle to compete with expat hubs such as Singapore and Hong Kong
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South Korea
Samsung is one of South Korea’s best known companies. But the country’s economy is suffering from the dominance of a handful of huge firms. Photo: Reuters