Description
Book SynopsisThis book offers a radical reinterpretation of postwar Japan's policies towards immigrants and foreign residents. Drawing on a wealth of historical material, it shows how the Cold War played a decisive role in shaping Japan's migration controls, shedding light on the origins and dilemmas of migration policy in Japan.
Trade Review“Unlike much academic writing, Tessa Morris-Suzuki’s work is almost always clearly written and jargon-free, impeccably researched and, above all, original… Morris-Suzuki’s writing is consistently innovative and thought-provoking. Her new work, Borderline Japan, is no exception…Morris-Suzuki’s book should not only be considered required reading for Japanese Studies scholars and students, but for all Japanese who are unaware of the circumstances and sufferings of non-Japanese, the vast majority of whom wanted and continue to want nothing more than to peacefully work and live in—and travel in and out of—a country they have come to call home.” -Chris Burgess, Tsuda College, Pacific Affairs
Table of ContentsIntroduction; 1. Border politics: rethinking Japan's migration controls; 2. Drawing the line: from empire to Cold War; 3. Crossing the line: 'unauthorized arrivals' in occupied Japan; 4. Guarding the line: the Cold War and the immigration bureau; 5. A place apart I: the armed archipelago; 6. A place apart II: the liminal world of Ōmura; 7. Special permission to stay: 'hidden lives' in postwar Japan; 8. A point of no return: repatriation to China and North Korea; 9. Beyond the postwar system: what changed; what stayed the same?
