Immigration Policy and Brazilian Immigration in Japan between 1980 and 2010

This paper analyzes the international migration of Brazilians to Japan, regarding its historical conformation and the migratory policies that largely define this process. This immigration began around 1980 and in the last three decades the flow of Brazilians towards Japan became significant and dynamic. To understand the migratory dynamics along this period, we adopt a perspective of the migratory processes’ temporal expectation (Roberts, 1995) that contemplates three main dimensions: 1) a formal and prescribed dimension; 2) the ethnic group dimension; and 3) the family groups dimension. This paper focuses on the analysis of the formal and prescribed dimension through the migratory policies that guide flow of workers. We also approach the 2008 international economic crisis period, considering Brazilian and Japanese governments’ official guidelines. The crisis’ context worsened immigrants’ situation in Japan, provoking a decrease in Brazilian population in that period. The methodology is based on the descriptive analysis of official statistics of the Japanese government on migration and the registry of foreigners in the country. Publications of Brazil’s National Immigration Council (CNIg – “Conselho Nacional de Imigração do Brasil”) were also consulted.