Debating Refugees in Japan

This book analyses media and political discourses surrounding the acceptance of refugees in contemporary Japan.

Drawing on critical discourse analysis, which sees the use of language as a form of social practice, this book traces changing discourses on refugees in Japan and explores ideologies embedded in them. By adopting the analytical concepts of national identity, state identity, ontological security, governmental belonging, kokusaika (internationalisation) and tabunka kyōsei (multicultural coexistence), it explores the rationale that underpins these discourses over a nearly half-century period – from 1975, when the first Vietnamese refugees arrived on Japanese shores, to 2023, when a controversial bill to amend Japan’s Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act was approved by the National Diet. Given the increasing number of refugees worldwide, this timely discussion will provide valuable insights into research on refugees not only in Japan but also within an international, comparative framework.

Contributing to understandings of not only refugee issues but also broader issues of Japan’s national identity and ethnic diversities in Japan, this will be a valuable resource to students and scholar of Japanese Studies, Multiculturalism and Migration Studies.