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 Japan has a reputation as a relatively homogenous society among industrialised nations but with a rapidly ageing population and declining birth rate will the face of Japan begin to change?In partnership with the Community Relations Commission, the Australian Multicultural Foundation and the Monash Institute for the Study of Global Movements, The Japan Foundation, Sydney is honoured to invite Professor Keizo Yamawaki to Australia to present a talk on the current situation of multicultural society building in Japan. In January 2009, the Japanese government set up an office in charge of policy on resident foreigners in the Cabinet Office. It aims to support foreigners who lost jobs in the current economic crisis and their families. Historically, the Japanese government didn't pay enough attention to foreign residents and avoided dealing with the issue of immigrant integration. It remains to be seen if the new office will become an organ for formulating an integration policy. On the other hand, some local governments have acknowledged foreign residents as part of their community and gradual progress has been made since the 1970s in formulating policies on foreign residents and engaging in efforts to build a multicultural community. Thus there is a sharp contrast between the policies of local governments and those of the national government. Professor Yamawaki, as a member of numerous committees on immigration policy advising both levels of government, is in a unique position to explain the present situation in Japan. He is currently professor at the School of Global Japanese Studies at Meiji University, Tokyo. He holds a degree from the Faculty of Law, University of Tokyo, and a master's degree from the School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University. Professor Yamawaki is best known as the chair of the committee for the promotion of multicultural community building of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, which issued the first governmental report on immigrant integration at local levels in 2006. Professor Yamawaki's talk will address various issues surrounding immigration and multicultural society building in Japan, such as a proposal by the ruling Liberal Democratic Party to admit 10 million immigrants into Japan in the next 50 years, suggesting that this year may become a turning point for Japanese immigration policy. Join us for an insight into the important issues facing Japan's foray into multiculturalism from a leading expert in the field. |
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