“Reintegrations” of Indonesian migrant workers to Japan and Taiwan: Diverse flows of sending and receiving migrants

Panel Convenor(s)

• JN

  Junko Nakatani

  Osaka-sangyo University, Japan

Panel Chair(s)

• JN

  Junko Nakatani

  Osaka-sangyo University, Japan

Panel Discussant(s)

• WI

  Waode Hanifah Istiqomah

  Societas Research Institute, Hashimoto Foundation, Japan

Presenter(s)

• JN

  Junko Nakatani

  Osaka-sangyo University, Japan
• HY

  Hiroko Yamaguchi

  The University of Kitakyushu, Japan
• KH

  Keiko Hirano

  Yokohama National University, Japan
• YK

  Yumi Kitamura

  Kyoto University, Japan

Indonesia has been sending as many as 300,000 workers annually to Asia and other countries since the 1980s. Generally, once a worker has decided to go abroad, he or she goes to the host country after undergoing training in Indonesia. They can work for a set period at their contracted destination, for example Taiwan and Japan, and return home.

Taiwan has accepted foreign workers with "unskilled labor" status of residence. On the other hand, Japan has never had an official "immigration policy" in the sense that it has never accepted foreigners as "labor immigrants". In reality, however, Japan has made up of its labor shortage by accepting unskilled workers not as “laborer migrants” but with a status of "technical intern training". In recent years, a "specified skilled workers" status of residence has been created, which allows for long-term stays and family accompaniment in the future, but it also faces many problems.

 Today, the ways of their reintegrations after returning to Indonesia are becoming diverse. They may use the income earned abroad to buy a house or land in their hometown for their families, or they may start a business with their capital.

The members of this panel have conducted research on Indonesian migrant workers in Japan, other parts of Asia, and, of course, Indonesia. Kuschminder analyzes the reintegration strategies of returning migrants from Ethiopia by migration groups: professionals, international students, and domestic workers. The "labor migrants" from Indonesia to Japan we researched show a variety of reintegration that does not entirely fit into her analysis based on the migration groups.

In this panel, we would like to clarify the flow of migrant labor with a view to the return of Indonesian migrant workers. First, we will show the pre-departure process of "migrant labor" candidates to Japan. Next, we will discuss new trends among the options presented for the post-return life stage.

As mentioned earlier, Japan does not accept such human resources as "workers”. Therefore, we would like to take up the case of Taiwan, which is engaged in support activities with a view to the return of workers, and compare its system of accepting labor migrants with that in Japan, in order to clarify the differences and challenges in the migrant labor cycle that can be seen there.

Presentations:

• 09:00 – 10:45 (GMT+7)

  Flow of Migrant Workers from Indonesia to Asia
  

  Presenter: Junko Nakatani – Osaka-sangyo University
• 09:00 – 10:45 (GMT+7)

  Diversity and Change in Reintegration: Case Studies of former Indonesian Technical Intern Trainees returning from Japan
  

  Presenter: Hiroko Yamaguchi – The University of Kitakyushu
• 09:00 – 10:45 (GMT+7)

  Becoming a Hub in Japan: Establishment of Social Capital by Former Technical Intern Trainee
  

  Presenter: Keiko Hirano – Yokohama National University
• 09:00 – 10:45 (GMT+7)

  Non-economic evaluation of the “success” of migrant workers
  

  Presenter: Yumi Kitamura – Kyoto University