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Does ethnic origin determine integration success? A comparison of immigration policies in Germany and Japan

2012; Routledge; Volume: 13; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1080/14631369.2012.625709

1469-2953

Patrick Hein,

Migration, Ethnicity, and Economy

Abstract The paper analyzes public policy and public opinion responses toward immigrants in Germany and Japan, two countries whose immigration policies have relied on blood purity (jus sanguinis). The paper retraces the rationale for jus sanguinis and contends that it was adopted at the turn of the century in both countries out of political convenience. The principles and goals of immigration policies are compared cautioning that better principles must not mean better outcomes. It is reiterated that Germany has made a politically motivated move away from the ethnic monocultural concept, whereas Japan still hangs on more or less to the old model of silent and subtle assimilation. The more dissuasive Japanese model of tight immigration control, deportation and monocultural assimilation isthen compared to the more permissive German immigration model. A comparison of identity discourses in the form of Japanese Nihonjinron and German Leitkultur shows that both countries struggle with identifying and asserting their core values and that this has a negative impact on integration issues. The paper concludes that Germany has failed to bear the full consequences of its ambitious plans by taking into account the values, beliefs and worldviews of its immigrants, whereas Japan continues to treat immigrants as temporary guests denying any need for long-term integration. Keywords: JapanGermanyimmigrationintegrationethnicitynaturalization Notes 1Befu, Rethinking Civil Society. 2Kashiwazaki. 'Nationality and Citizenship in Japan; Sato, 'The Politics of Nationhood in Germany and Japan'; Kuramochi, 'Does Immigration Policy Matter? 3Yonezawa, 'Memories of Japanese Identity', 116. 4Brumann, 'Culture: Why a Successful Concept Should Not Be Discarded'. 5http://www.japanfocus.org/-Sakanaka-Hidenori/2396 6Befu, Hegemony of Homogeneity; Tibi, 'Leitkultur als Wertekonsens'. 7Befu and Manabe, 'An Empirical Study', 94. 8Befu, Hegemony of homogeneity. 9Befu and Manabe, 'An Empirical Study', 100. 10 Japan Times, July 8, 2007, 15. 11Hein, 'How the Japanese became Foreign to Themselves'. 12Befu, 'Conditions of Living Together'. 13Befu, 'Conditions of Living Together', 7. 14Elias, Sudien ueber die Deutschen. 15Takezawa, 'Nation-State and Immigration', 202. 16Brumann, 'Culture: Why a Successful Concept Should Not Be Discarded', 1. 17Tibi, 'Leitkultur als Wertekonsens'. 18Lammert, 'Verfassung, Patriotismus, Leitkultur', 48. 20 http://members.jcom.home.ne.jp/yosha/yr/nationality/Nationality_law_1873.html 19Hosokawa, 'Japanese Nationality in International Perspective'. 21Kashiwazaki, 'Nationality and Citizenship in Japan'. 22Oguma, A Genealogy of 'Japanese' Self-Images. 23Robertson, 'Blood Talks'. 24Robertson, 'Blood Talks'. 25 http://www.verfassungen.de/de/by/bayern18-index.htm 26Howard, 'The Causes and Consequences of Germany's New Citizenship Law'. 27 www.bamf.de 28 http://www.immi-moj.go.jp/english/ 29 www.immi-moj.go.jp/english/tetuduki/zairyuu/qa/html 30OECD, International Migration Outlook. 31Thien-Shi, The Increasing Presence of Chinese Migrants in Japan. 32Ortloff, and Frey, 'Blood Relatives?', 465. 33 http://www.repacp.org/aacp/StatementEN.php?d=20090524 34Tsuda, Local Citizenship; Shipper, 'Contesting Foreigners' Rights in Contemporary Japan'; Linder, No One Home; Ortloff and Frey, 'Blood Relatives'; Riordan, Language Policy. 35Riordan, Language Policy. 37Ibid., 465. 36Ortloff and Frey, 'Blood Relatives', 464. 38Berlin Institute, 'Ungenutzte Potenziale', 6. 39Ibid., 6. 40Ibid., 81. 41Ibid., 9. 42For a critical review, see Schmidtke, 'Einwanderungsland Kanada'. 43See also Green, The Politics of Exclusion. 44 http://www.zaitokukai.info/ 45Murphy-Shigematsu, 'Cultural Psychiatry and Minority Identities in Japan'. 46Ibid., 381. 47Ibid., 380. 48Ibid., 382. 49 http://www.bertelsmann-stiftung.de 50Takezawa, 'Nation-State and Immigration', 202.