The Amended Japan Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act of 2004: Implications and Prospects on Philippine-Japan Relation and Filipino Overseas Workers

Abstract

The study is a policy analysis on the amended Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act of 2004 and its implications and prospects on Philippine-Japan Relations and on Filipino overseas workers in Japan. It seeks to answer if the implementation of the amended Japan Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act in 2005 was beneficial for Philippine-Japanese relation, particularly in terms of overseas Filipino employment? It explored Japan’s immigration laws and policies as the fundamental law for accepting foreign workers in the country, and the reasons for the amendments. Likewise, it showed the Philippines’ overseas employment policy in the context of Japan as a receiving country of Filipino workers and the implications of Japan's amendments to its immigration law to the flow of Filipino workers, particularly entertainers, to the country. The rational model of foreign policy decision-making, which maintains that national interests of States play the central role in law and policy formulation of individual governments, was used in the analysis of Japan’s changes in its immigration policy and the subsequent reactions and actions of the Philippine government. The paper is a qualitative study that employed the critical science approach. Content analysis of different research materials, Key Informant Interviews with different stake holders, and a Focus Group Discussion among Filipino workers who have worked in the Japan were the main tools utilized. Recommendations on how to best forward both Japan and Philippine interests with regards to Japan’s immigration problems and Philippines’ overseas workers in the country were also given at the end of the paper.