vagrant voice final draft

8/12/2019 Vagrant Voice Final Draft

1/16

Vagrant voices, red sun

Notes on Filipino migrant support organizations and Filipino migrants in Japan

Abstract

Filipinos comprise the fourth largest group of foreigners in Japan (Statistics

Bureau 2006) and the figure does not even take into account those ho areundocumented! Japan is not reall" a countr" knon for its friendliness to foreigners

#ut the presence of Filipinos$ according to some vies$ have not onl" hastened this

cloistered countr"%s internationalization #ut transformed its civil societ"!

But e&actl" hat support or interventions do these organizations provide' re

Filipino migrant organizations in Japan support organizations or advocac"

organizations' o these interventions actuall" fulfill the needs of their supposed

stakeholders' *o do Filipino migrants look at support organizations' nd hat

conclusions can e dra from these activities ith respect to civil societ" as a hole$

as ell as their potential to influence migration policies'

+his paper dras from an ongoing stud" emplo"ing ,ualitative and

,uantitative approaches to determine hether Filipino support organizations actuall"pla" a role in Japan%s migration polic" d"namics! -t argues that the reason h"

Filipino support organizations find it difficult to shift into advocac" is #ecause

Filipino migrants in Japan are themselves indifferent stakeholders ho cannot serve

as a resource for collective action$ and prefer provisional support services more than

polic" change!

.e"ords/

Filipino migration$ Filipino migrant support organizations$ social movements$

Japanese civil societ"$ stakeholder anal"sis$ agenda setting$ Filipino migrant surve"!

Vagrant voices, red sun

Notes on Filipino migrant support organizations and Filipino migrants in Japan

B" ogelio licor 1! anao

re Filipino migrant organizations in Japan support organizations or polic"

advocates' *o do Filipino migrants$ their stakeholders$ see them' o the" actuall"

fulfill the needs of their supposed stakeholders' nd hat conclusions can e dra

from these activities ith respect to civil societ" as a hole$ as ell as their potential

to influence migration policies'

1iterature a#ound shoing evidence of a sudden and groing d"namism inJapanese civil societ" in recent "ears (harr 20034 eimann 20504 inken and

iepstraten 2050)! But if there is groing d"namism in Japanese civil societ"$

organizations should have #ecome more active and loud in advocating issues$

especiall" those that have clear polic" implications such as the reform of Japan%s

immigration policies! s for Filipinos$ on the other hand$ ith their propensit" to

remove presidents #" people poer the" should #e among the most passionate and

outspoken of Japan%s migrant groups hen it comes to protecting their rights! +his$

hoever$ is not the case as this paper shos!

+his paper ill address the a#ove ,uestions using a semi7structured

intervies$ descriptive content anal"sis and surve"s! +he stated goals and services of

the Solidarit" Netork ith 8igrants Japan or -9uuren mem#er organizations (thelargest migrant support netork in Japan)$ and several other Filipino support

5


2/16

organizations ere e&amined through literature revie and descriptive content

anal"sis! Structured intervies ere then conducted ith .apatiran (hich is allied

ith -9uuren and listed in the director" of :ommission on Filipino ;verseas and

hose primar" service is to provide counseling services to distressed migrants)! Semi7

structured intervies ere also conducted ith .apatiran volunteers and clients!

Ne&t$ - conducted unstructured intervies and a surve" among Filipinomigrants in +ok"o in ;cto#er 2050 in hich respondents ere asked$ among other

things$ hether the" have availed of services offered #" support organizations$ ho

the services match their needs$ and their idea of hat support organizations should #e!

+he surve" is meant to gauge ho Filipino migrants as stakeholders vie the

interventions #" migrant support organizations as service providers$ and hether

these interventions actuall" correspond to hat the" claim the" need! +he surve" is

also intended to ascertain hether Filipino migrants themselves ant support

organizations to advocate policies in their #ehalf or are content ith them as support

service providers!

- argue that Filipino support organizations find it difficult to shift into

advocac" #ecause the Filipino migrants in Japan themselves are indifferentstakeholders ho (a) cannot serve as a resource for collective action4 and (#) cannot

identif" ith the issue of immigration polic" reform for the" prefer the immediate #ut

provisional support programs than polic" change!

+he results of m" surve" among Filipino migrants in +ok"o suggest that

Filipino migrants themselves do not regard support organizations as an"thing #e"ond

service providers! -n fact$ Filipinos themselves do not consider changing Japanese

immigration policies as important as improving the provision of ever"da" support

services that the" need to lead ordinar" lives in a foreign countr"! 8ost e&pect

nothing more than migrant support organizations to provide legal$ material and

financial support! Neither do the" e&pect these organizations to advocate for reforms

in immigration policies$ or amendments in las that ill #enefit Filipinos in Japan!

Filipino migrants themselves do not take immerse themselves in the repertoire

of migration advocac" in Japan and tend more to #e passive #"standers!


3/16

conflict management strategies$ postal regulations providing discounts to #ulk mails

#" nonprofit organizations)!

Japan has pro#a#l" >the most severe regulator" environments in the developed

orld? here pu#lic interest legal person groups can ac,uire 9uridical personalit"

onl" through the e&plicit permission of designated #ureaucratic authorit"$ and not

ithout the latter%s constant guidance and supervision (56)! -n this conte&t$ groupshose o#9ectives run against those of the permitting ministr" ould likel" not gain

approval! -n fact$ man" nonprofit organizations (N;) cannot ,ualif" as legal persons

and this poses pro#lems that echo to the ver" survival of these organizations!

8oreover$ hile it is hard enough for independent groups to gro$ it is likeise hard

for groups to remain independent! +his is #ecause the agencies responsi#le for

granting legal status e&ercises significant monitoring (reporting and investigating) and

sanctioning (punishments$ revocation of status) poer over groups! Furthermore$ the

state is not as generous in terms of concomitant ta& incentives and financial support

compared ith other industrialized countries!

-n other ords$ groups have faced restrictive regulations and limited financial

flos hich someho e&plain h" civil societ" has found it difficult to gro largeand remain independent! +his pattern tend to promote one t"pe of group hile

hindered another@hat ekkanen refers to as Japan%s dual civil societ"! ccordingl"$

small local groups such as neigh#orhood associations have flourished ith support

from the state hile large independent professionalized groups have faced harsh legal

environments! Japan%s civil societ"$ sa"s ekkanen$ is one in hich there are mem#ers

#ut no advocates! =hile small local groups are numerous$ help #uild social capital$

improve the deliver" of social services #" local governments$ the" lack professionals

that institutionalize movements$ ork toard influencing polic" outcomes$ and

eventuall" shape the political landscape! Needless to sa"$ Japan%s political institution

have created a civil societ" that has difficult" finding a voice #ecause of the scarcit"

of professional advocates instrumental in producing independent research and

influencing polic" discourse! But then again$ it could also #e that an underl"ing

reason h" civil societ" is relativel" eak lies in ho politicians and #ureaucrats

look at it as a non7official participant in the polic" process! 1ack of active advocac"$

especiall" those directed to and involving certain stakeholders$ ma" also offer an

e&planation #ut ekkanen never looked into!

eimann (2050)$ in his on stud" of Japanese N


4/16

man" organizations are interested in polic" and act to influence the political process

through such mechanisms as lo##"ing$ and ultimatel"$ to hat e&tent the" are

influential as socio7political actors! comparison is also made among interest groups

in Japan$ South .orean$ the CS and


5/16

careers (initiation$ specification$ e&pansion and entrance)! +he outside initiative model

accounts for the process through hich issues arise in nongovernmental groups and

are then e&panded sufficientl" to reach$ first$ the pu#lic agenda$ and finall"$ the formal

agenda! Four different groups can #ecome involved as an issue e&pands #e"ond its

originators/ the identification group$ the attention group$ the attentive pu#lic and the

general pu#lic! 8em#ers of the identification group are people ho feel strong ties tothe originators of an issue and ho see their on interest as tied to those raising the

issue!

- am putting emphasis on the identification group #ecause this to m" mind is

here Filipino migrants as stakeholders should #elong if the" are to put the issue of

immigration reform as a polic" agenda! Not onl" are mem#ers of an identification

group the first to #e mo#ilized$ the" are also the most likel" to support the position of

originators! n e&ample of issue e&pansion to mem#ers of an identification group is

the definition of a controvers" in terms of regional$ ethnic or religious interest (:o##

and Glder 5ADH)!

Filipino migrants$ hoever$ comprise at the ver" least a eak identification

group since the" are largel" unaffected #" reforming Japan%s polic" toard migrantsas a polic" agenda! num#er of inferences ma" #e raised to e&plain this! For one$

Filipinos in Japan generall" do not intend to sta" long and$ hence$ have no stake even

if there is massive change in policies favoring migrants! lso$ the" generall" prefer

support organizations to remain as the" are$ to provide services like legal assistance$

counseling and financial support! +he" do not look at support organizations as tools

for setting agenda ith reforming migration polic" as end!

+hese sentiments are vital for support organizations hich naturall" must suit

their services to the e&pectations of their supposed stakeholders! ccording to 1oseke

(2003)$ social pro#lem activists (such as interest groups) are claim7makers$ alongside

the media and scientists! :onstructing conditions in a"s that mem#ers of a societ" as

audience consider them to #e social pro#lems is hat claim makers should do to in

the social pro#lems game! +his orks far easier$ sa"s 1oseke$ if claim7makers o#tain

social pro#lem onership! Social pro#lem onership is hen one particular pro#lem

diagnostic frame #ecomes the taken7for7granted frame for that pro#lem! For this to

ork$ Filipino migrants must then #e constructed positivel" to make them appear as

deserving of a pu#lic polic" to alleviate their plight and make the pu#lic s"mpathetic

to their cause! But this #ecomes pro#lematic if Filipino migrants themselves do not

seek to change social polic" or if the" themselves do not see their plight as something

that re,uires a ma9or overhaul of institutions or the legal s"stem!

-t then #ecomes important to esta#lish not onl" hat Filipino migrants reall"

ant (hether a polic" change or 9ust more services) and hether these needs are notaddressed in the present s"stem as to make polic" change urgent! -t is also important

to esta#lish to hat e&tent support organizations are meeting these needs #ecause if

Filipino migrants do not reall" desire something as massive as a change in Japan%s

migration polic" then there is no urgenc" for support organizations to advocate for it!

But do Filipino migrants themselves #elieve in the urgenc" of reforming Japanese

immigration policies' ;r do piecemeal improvements in the s"stem ork 9ust fine for

them' =hat do the" ant support groups to do'

Filipino as an important migrant group

+here are man" empirical 9ustifications for an e&amination of Filipino migrant

support organizations in Japan! Filipinos no comprise the fourth largest group offoreigners in Japan (+a#le 5) and the figure does not even take into account those ho

H


6/16

are undocumented! Not onl" is the population of Filipinos in Japan rising significantl"

in recent "ears (3HI in 200H)$ one out of nine of this population is of orking age!

8oreover$ females constitute a huge proportion of this orking age Filipino migrant

population (a#out nine out of 50 Filipinos in Japan)!

ccording to the population of foreign residents in 200H #" nationalit"$

.orean nationals num#er D3 thousand to constitute the #iggest group$ folloed #":hinese nationals (3H3 thousand)$ Brazilian nationals (25H thousand)$ hilippine

nationals (526 thousand)$ etc! comparison of the population of foreign residents #"

nationalit" in 200H ith that in 2000 reveals that the num#ers of .orean and Cnited

States nationals decreased #" 50!DI and 0!6I$ respectivel"$ hile the num#ers of

:hinese$ Brazilian$ hilippine and eruvian nationals increased significantl" #"

3A!6I$ 5!I$ 3H!0I and 20!3I$ respectivel"! +his indicates that nationalities are not

onl" diversif"ing$ Filipinos are #ecoming a large component of this demographic

transformation!

Table 1. Foreigners by nationality and age (2005)Source: Statistics Bureau, Summary of esults, Population of Japan, Final Report of the 2005 Population Census(!a"an: #inistry of $nternal %ffairs and &ommunication, 200').

+herefore$ the living and orking conditions that Filipino migrants endure$ the

d"namics of ho the" tr" to transform their condition$ as ell as the efforts of

individuals or groups that ork for their cause are orth e&amining!

Methodology

+o determine hether Filipino support organizations are merel" support

groups or engage in political advocac"$ - e&amined the stated goals and services of

organizations under the Solidarit" Netork ith 8igrants Japan or -9uuren$ the largest

migrant support netork in Japan$ and several other Filipino support organizations!

+his as done through literature revie$ internet data#ase search$ and descriptive

content anal"sis!

fterards$ structured intervies ere conducted ith .apatiran (hich is

allied ith -9uuren and listed in the director" of :ommission on Filipino ;verseas and

hose primar" service is to provide counseling services to distressed migrants)! Semi7

structured intervies ere also conducted ith .apatiran volunteers and clients! +hepurpose of these intervies as to corro#orate the content anal"sis and to learn first

6


7/16

hand the services that a t"pical Filipino support organization provides migrants$ as

ell as hether or not the" are active in the immigration polic" d"namics!

+o determine ho these services fit the e&pectation of Filipino migrants as

stakeholders$ - conducted a surve" and unstructured intervies ith Filipino migrants

in +ok"o in ;cto#er 2050 in hich respondents ere asked$ among other things$

hether the" have availed of services offered #" support organizations$ ho theservices match their needs$ and their idea of hat support organizations should #e!

+he surve" aimed to gauge ho Filipino migrants as stakeholders vie the

interventions #" migrant support organizations as service providers$ and hether

these interventions actuall" correspond to hat the" claim the" need! +he surve" as

also meant to ascertain hether Filipino migrants themselves ant support

organizations to advocate policies in their #ehalf or are content ith them as support

service providers!

+here ere originall" 200 surve" ,uestionnaires distri#uted to Filipinos in

+ok"o (otsu"a$ 8eguro$ oppongi and okohama)$ of hich onl" 55 gave their

replies! +he to7page surve" ,uestionnaire as ritten in Filipino since as 8oser and

.alton (5AD5) suggest$ hen designing a surve" it is #est to #e >in the position of thet"pical$ or rather the least educated$ respondent? (p! 320)! Fourteen ,uestions ere

asked$ the most crucial to m" purpose #eing the folloing/

a! =hether the respondent is a mem#er of an organization in Japan and the t"pe

of organization (KH$ K6)

#! =ho the respondent t"picall" approaches for help and the common pro#lems

for hich help is sought (KD$ K)

c! *o respondents rate the assistanceLintervention provided (KA)

d! +he t"pical serviceLintervention that the organization the" approach offers

(K50)

e! =hat respondents think migrant support organizations should do or provide

(K55$ K52$ K53)

f! =hether respondents intend to sta" in Japan for long (K5)!

dmittedl"$ there are limitations to this approach! For one$ the stud" limits

itself to Filipino support and Filipino7related interest groups! *o to determine hich

of the hundreds of migrant support organization in Japan specificall" cater to

Filipinos$ or to one particular migrant group for that matter$ is also pro#lematic!

Support organizations t"picall" do not cater to a specific group! lso$ even though

man" Filipino support groups first started ith Filipinos in mind$ in time the" have

e&panded their reach to include all migrants$ as the case of .apatiran shos!

lso$ the surve" as limited to +ok"o and ith a marginal sample of 55respondents so the findings ma" not necessaril" #e conclusive of the population of

Filipino migrants in Japan! +hose interested in conducting similar studies or

replicating this approach ould do #est to include respondents from other prefectures

to o#tain a countr"ide perspective and adopt more comprehensive statistical tests to

validate the surve" results!

Discussion of preliminary findings

a Filipino migrant organi!ations are still primarily "ust support

organi!ations

-n a surve" conducted in 200D$ ogt and 1ersch found that hile migrant

support organizations are indeed highl" active in terms of helping migrants ithever"da" life issues$ political advocac" occurs on a case to case #asis and highl"

D


8/16

concentrated on the local level! olitical advocac" rarel" occurs on a national or

transnational level not even among organizations ith salaried staff (hich #"

ekkanen%s account should have e&panded their action to the political sphere)! ogt

and 1ersch (200D) conclude that migrant support organizations are not successful

polic" advocates for foreigners #ecause the" are knit closel" to the structure of

interdependence that #inds political actors in Japan! -n other ords$ the propensit" toengage in service provision is not a matter of choice #ut more of a restriction imposed

on them #" Japan%s tight political opportunit" structure!

8" on anal"sis of the programs and o#9ectives of -9uuren mem#er

organizations and a select num#er of Filipino migrant support organizations confirm

these findings! - identified DA migrant support organizations$ D2 ere allied ith the

-9uuren$ and si& ere #ased on hat - gathered from internet research! 8ost of these

organizations limit their activities to providing migrants ith support for ever"da"

concerns particularl" through counseling services! -n fact$ a#out seven in 50 of the

organizations studied offer counseling services! ;f these organizations$ a#out one in

five offers language and cultural integration support! Similarl"$ a#out one in five

offers migrant assistance to meet their ever"da" needs! lso a#out one in fiveprovides legal assistance or paralegal support!

Table 1. Number of organizations providing counseling services

rganiations *+ic+ indicate or say t+ey"roide counseling Fre-uency ercent

/S 5 2.15

1' 20.25

% ' .53

Total 3 1004

Note/ N means that the organization either caters strictl" to a specific migrant group other than Filipinos (e!g!$ .oreans) orpu#lished no information a#out its services!

;nl" a#out three in ten of the sampled organizations engage in some form of

information campaign (pu#lish regular nesletters and conduct seminars)! ;nl" a#out

to in ten are engaged in some form of advocac" and lo##"ing!

Table 2. Number of organizations providing counseling services

rganiations *+ic+ indicate or say t+eyengage in adocacy Fre-uency ercent

/S 1 1.2

53 .'6

% ' .53

Total 3 1004

Note/ N means that the organization either caters strictl" to a specific migrant group other than Filipinos (e!g!$ .oreans) or

pu#lished no information a#out its services!

er" fe organizations (in fact$ 9ust to) sa" the" maintain some contact ith

local leaders or elected officials! Similarl"$ onl" si& sa" the" maintain some contact or

linkage ith government agencies!

b #he role of the religious: #he case of $apatiran

-f Japan%s tight political constrains hinder migrant support organizations from

evolving into advocac" organizations$ ho do migrant support organizations manage

to continue'

considera#le num#er of organizations orking for the cause of Filipinos in

Japan are actuall" organizations attached to religious congregations or churches!:hurch7#ased organizations are ,uite popular$ especiall" among Filipino migrants to


9/16

hom the e&pression of faith is almost a cultural trait! :onsider the case of .apatiran$

hich provides counseling and legal support to foreigners! -nitiall" a pilot pro9ect of

the NS.. diocese of +ok"o$ .apatiran as formall" esta#lished as a non7government

organization under the +ok"o nglican church in 5A! .apatiran in Filipino literall"

means fraternit" (sisterhood or #rotherhood) and as named as such #ecause the

organization initiall" catered to Filipinas in need of ps"cho7social and materialsupport! No$ of course$ it provides support for all foreign nationals living in Japan!

+his is done mainl" through phone and face7to7face counseling$ and hen necessar"

through linkage ith em#assies$ government offices$ hospitals$ as ell as the

-mmigration Bureau! ;n a case #" case #asis$ it also provides mediation to pro#lems$

such as those involving domestic violence!

+he organization has a#out 30 mem#ers$ most of hich are volunteers! +here

are a#out si& volunteers ho ork regularl" and assist in the da" to da" operation of

the office! *itomi okote$ ho sits in .apatiran%s Board$ sa"s the main purpose of the

organization is to help migrants deal ith ever"da" life issues! +his is t"picall"

accomplished through telephone and face7to7face counseling$ providing ph"sical

support$ esta#lishing a netork for Filipino omen living in Japan$ pu#lishing theSampaguita Nesletter$ and #" holding fund raising events to finance its activities!

8ost of its funds are provided #" the Nihon Sei .ou .ai (NS..) or the nglican

iocese in +ok"o although sometimes it receives private donations!

s of Jul" 2050 it had handled 5D0 cases$ the most common #eing domestic

violence (H5)$ issues related to parenting and child care (5D)$ and marriage pro#lems

(52)! omestic violence and marital pro#lems seem to #e the most fre,uent issues

presented #efore .apatiran caseorkers!

.apatiran also orks closel" ith other support organizations in Japan like the

JF: Netork and the :atholic +ok"o -nternational :enter! -t is part of the Solidarit"

8igrant Netork Japan (-9uuren) and is included in the list of recognized Filipino

support organization under the director" of the :ommission on Filipino ;verseas

(:F;)!

.apatiran$ hoever$ does not have an N; status and is$ strictl" speaking$ a

church #ased organization! okote sa"s there is no need for the organization at this

time to seek N; status as it is a#le to fulfill its duties ith its current status! sked

ho she perceives the overall living condition of migrants in Japan$ she #elieves that

their condition is >neither good nor #ad!? pril 8orito$ .apatiran%s program director$

admits that hile the living conditions of Filipinos in Japan are generall" #elo that

of the Japanese$ Filipinos are faring #etter compared to other migrant groups!

.apatiran$ according to 8orito$ is not lo##"ing for the passage of a la or

ordinance that ill reform migration las in Japan! -t has had no contact ith amem#er of the iet or ith a representative of an" agenc" other than the 8inistr" of

Justice! *oever$ it does advocate for migration polic" reforms and other migrant

issues! -t plans$ for instance$ to draft a position paper a#out the pro#lems and concerns

of Japanese Filipino children and migrant families in Japan! +he paper ill #e

su#mitted to the hilippine Gm#ass"$ ho ill$ in turn$ present it to resident Benigno

,uino --- for discussion on his ne&t visit to Japan!

okote clarifies that .apatiran is not in an" a" tr"ing to influence political

decision making in Japan! Neither does it intend to$ even if given the opportunit"! For

one$ she sa"s$ to engage in political advocac" entails su#stantial financial constraints!

8orito$ for her part$ sa"s that even if .apatiran ants to$ it simpl" cannot #ecause it

neither has the resources nor the manpoer to em#ark on lo##"ing$ protests ormo#ilizations! 8ost of .apatiran%s caseorkers are volunteers ho themselves have

A


10/16

other 9o#s other than counseling distressed migrants! -n other ords$ logistics alone

ould inhi#it .apatiran from 9oining the fora" of polic" advocates!

Both okote and 8orito #elieve in the role of local groups and support

organizations in alleviating the plight of migrants in Japan! *oever$ the" also

emphasize the role of government as important$ in order to achieve lasting or long

term change!

b Are Filipino migrants policy sta%eholders or passive bystanders&

-n a surve"$ - asked Filipinos a num#er of ,uestions to gauge$ among others$

ho the" eigh the services or interventions migrant support organizations provide4

their vie on hat migrant support organizations should #e4 and the e&tent to hich

these organizations meet their e&pectation! +he median respondents (3HI) have lived

more than 50 "ears in Japan! *oever$ 2DI of m" respondents sa" the" have spent

less than a "ear in the countr"! #out 22I (one in five) have #een living in Japan for

si& to ten "ears!

Table 3. Respondents length of stay in Japan

7engt+ of stay in !a"an Fre-uency ercent

7ess t+an one year 81 2.13

ne to fie years 16 15.3

Si9 to ten years 25 21.38

#ore t+an ten years 0 85.03

Total 11 1004

;nl" a#out four out of ten respondents (3AI) sa" the" are affiliated ith an

organization or association! #out 65I of m" respondents sa" the" do not #elong to

an organization or association of an" kind!

Table . !"# $o you belong to an association or organization %e.g.& neighborhood association& union& 'ilipinoorganization& etc.() %a( *+, %b( N-

#ember of an organiation orassociation

Fre-uency ercent

/S 86.'0

0 '1.0

Total 11 1004

#out HDI or more than half of the Filipino migrants surve"ed ith

affiliations sa" the" #elong or are affiliated ith church7#ased or church relatedorganizations! +he rest are mem#ers of student organizations$ Filipino organizations$

omen organizations$ neigh#orhood associations and socio7civic organizations!

ecall$ hoever$ that a#out si& in 50 of the migrants surve"ed do not #elong to an

organization (see +a#le $ KH)! *ence$ hile it appears that Filipino migrants are

commonl" affiliated ith church7#ased organization$ on the hole a considera#le

ma9orit" do not #elong to an" organization at all!

Table 5. ;': $f you ans*ered /S to ;5, *+at ty"e of organiation

Ty"e of organiation Fre-uency ercent

&+urc+ 25 5'.61Fili"ino rganiation ' 18.'

Student rganiation ' 18.'

50


11/16


12/16

Total 1004

Ne&t$ - asked respondents to rate the services or intervention the" receive

(KA)! #out 22I or one in five find the services the" receive to #e ver" good$ 32I

percent think the" are good$ and I or close to half of the respondents find the

services satisfactor"! *oever$ there ere to respondents ho rated the servicesthe" received as >ver" #ad!? +his indicates that Filipino migrants in general are

satisfied ith the services the" receive from the organizations hich intervene for

them and provide assistance hen the" encounter trou#le in Japan!

;3: To *+at e9tent do you feel +ae t+e "eo"le or organiation in ; been +el"ful to you

Co* +el"ful Fre-uency ercent

Aery @ood 25 21.38

@ood 8 82.'

Satisfactory 50 8.6'

Bad 0 0.00

Aery Bad 2 1.5

Total 11 1004

- also asked a#out the t"pical service or assistance migrants receive from the

organizations or persons the" approach (K50)! :ounseling appears to #e the most

t"pical intervention (HI) that support organizations e&tend to Filipinos ho seek

their assistance! +his as folloed #" financial assistance (5HI)! 1egal assistance

(DI) and t"pical ever"da" concerns such as providing food and clothing (I)$ and

talking to government agencies in their #ehalf (such as #efore the 8inistr" of Justice

or the local ard office (I)$ are also mentioned! -nterestingl"$ a#out 6I of the

respondents sa" the" get no assistance or help from the organization or person the"

approach!

Table 3. ;10:


13/16

roide legal, material and financial su""ort 68 2.61

&onduct seminars 2' 22.61

#obilie "rotests to "ress for migrants= rig+ts 8.51

% 1 0.66

Total 11 1004

Seven in 50 respondents (D3I) consider support services as the mostimportant service that migrant support organizations should provide! Support services

in this case refer to legal assistance$ material aid$ and financial support@concerns that

affect the da" to da" lives of migrants! #out one in five respondents (23I) thinks it

is important for migrant support organizations to conduct seminars$ particularl" those

that help apprise migrants of their rights and recourse under the la! ;nl" I of the

respondents #elieve organizations should go out organizing protests or mo#s to press

for migrants% rights and elfare!

+his coincides ith hat Filipino migrants consider as the most important

help the" receive from migrant support organizations! 8a9orit" of the Filipino

migrants - surve"ed (HI) consider support for ever"da" e&istence (legal$ material

and financial) as the most important of the interventions or assistance the" receive

from organizations! :ounseling follos$ preferred #" one in three respondents (30I)!

*o a#out efforts to change the legal s"stem in Japan in favor of migrants'

-nterestingl"$ onl" a#out one in 50 of the migrants surve"ed (55I) consider current

efforts #" migrant support organizations to change immigration la as important!

Table 11. ;12: f t+e interentions or assistance you receie at "resent, *+ic+ do you consideras t+e most im"ortant

#ost im"ortant +el" or serice currently receied Fre-uency ercent

roide legal, material and financial su""ort '' 5.63

roide counseling to Fili"ino migrants 8 23.62%docate for t+e reform of immigration "olicies or la*s in !a"an 18 11.0

% 1 0.66

Total 11 1004

+here is consistenc" among Filipino migrants as to hat the" consider to #e

the most important intervention that a migrant support organization should provide!

s a supplement to K55$ - asked respondents hat services organizations should

render or provide instead if current services are inade,uate (K52)! :lose to seven in

50 respondents (6I) still consider support services (legal$ material$ and financial

support) as the most important that should #e provided! -t is important to note$

hoever$ that a#out one in five respondents (22I) #elieves that organizations alsoneed to e&ert efforts to change Japanese immigration las$ such as orking for the

reform of policies in #ehalf of migrant Filipinos!

Table 12. ;18:


14/16

-t is also orth noting that of the Filipino migrants surve"ed$ more than half

(HI) do not intend to remain for long in Japan! +o remain for long in this case means

to sta" in Japan for 20 "ears or more or to appl" for permanent residenc"! But of

course it can also #e said that Filipino migrants are divided #eteen those ho do not

ant to sta" long and those ho ant to sta" for good! #out 2I of the respondents

sa" the" are undecided so it is safe to sa" that 9ust half intend to sta" in Japan for long!=hat could #e the reason h" the" do not plan on sta"ing long' Japan is a

ealth" countr"$ offers comforta#le living$ and has one of the loest crime rates in

the orld! -n m" intervies ith respondents$ - learned that a considera#le num#er of

Filipinos have no intentions of sta"ing long or for good #ecause the" kno Japan%s

migration s"stem is neither as friendl" nor open as in :anada or the CS here an

applicant ma" #e entitled permanent residenc" 9ust #" living in those countries for a

certain num#er of "ears! -n Japan$ a foreigner must have lived for at least ten "ears

and e&hi#it sufficient facilit" ith the language #efore he or she can appl" for

permanent residenc"! But even so$ ac,uiring citizenship is an entirel" different stor"!

ccording to Filipinos - intervieed$ there is no point in orking to change

immigration las unless the change pertains to genuine policies that integratemigrants into societ" and grant them access to #ecome permanent mem#ers of the

societ" such as citizenship!

Table 12. ;18: Eo you intend to stay long in !a"an (e.g., 20 years or more, or ac-uire "ermanentresidency)

Eo you intend to stay long in !a"an Fre-uency ercent

/S 50 8.6'

'2 5.83

ndecided 2 1.5

Total 11 1004

-n other ords$ if immigration polic" reform merel" pertains to piecemeal

solutions that iden #asic rights #ut do not reall" grant full participation (such as

citizenship)$ Filipino migrants think the" are #etter off if support organizations 9ust

ork toard providing #etter support services$ particularl" those that cater to their

ever"da" concerns and make living in Japan more #eara#le!

Conclusion

Filipino migrant support organizations appear to #e t"picall" service7providing

organizations$ not polic" advocates! 8ost migrant support organizations aid distressedFilipinos #" providing ever"da" support services and counseling #ut rarel" do the" go

out and engage in efforts to reform the Japanese immigration s"stem itself!

*oever$ there are to important o#servations that need to #e stressed! ;ne is

the role of church7#ased organizations as vectors of migrant support! +he other is the

changing outlook$ even among traditionall" service7oriented organizations! s

.apatiran%s case shos$ some migrant support organizations are no also graduall"

engaging in some sort of advocac" even though the" do not participate in lo##"ing or

mass actions! lso$ hile the failure of support service organizations to shift into

polic" advocac" is #lamed on Japan%s stiff political structure$ the underl"ing reason

h" organizations do not take this path ma" #e more #asic! -n .apatiran%s case$ for

instance$ political advocac" ould entail additional funds and manpoer@tradeoffsthat an organization rel"ing on church donations can ill afford!

5


15/16

But ho do Filipino migrants eigh the services these support organizations

provide' s purported stakeholders$ ho do the" look at migrant support

organizations to #egin ith'

+he results of m" surve" among Filipino migrants in +ok"o suggest that

Filipino migrants themselves do not regard support organizations as an"thing #e"ond

service providers! -n fact$ Filipinos themselves do not consider changing Japaneseimmigration policies as important as improving the provision of ever"da" support

services that the" need to lead ordinar" lives in a foreign countr"! 8ost e&pect

nothing more than migrant support organizations to provide legal$ material and

financial support! Neither do the" e&pect these organizations to advocate for reforms

in immigration policies$ or amendments in las that ill #enefit Filipinos in Japan! -t

is interesting to note that even though a considera#le num#er of the respondents have

#een living in Japan for more than 50 "ears$ a#out half of them do not intend to sta"

long! -n other ords$ even long time residents still consider themselves as transient!

+his ma" e&plain h" the" are generall" indifferent to an" efforts to change the legal

structure of immigration!

;f course$ this is 9ust an o#servation and in no a" should #e taken asconclusive! For one$ the surve" as limited to Filipino migrants in +ok"o! -nitiall"$

200 surve" ,uestionnaires ere distri#uted #ut onl" 55 "ielded replies! 8oreover$

the findings ere limited to descriptive anal"sis! - also encountered une&pected

difficulties in running the surve"! Filipino migrants$ at least those - encountered

during the surve"$ appear to #e apprehensive or suspicious a#out the motives of a

surve" directed to them! >re "ou orking for immigration'? as a t"pical ,uestion -

encountered during field ork! +his ,uestion ould #e raised even though - ould

e&plain #eforehand the purpose of the surve" and the fact that the ,uestionnaire did

not even ask for their names or other personal details!

Nevertheless$ it is apparent@at least #ased on preliminar" findings@that

migrant support organizations ill have difficult" tapping on Filipino migrants to

support efforts toard Japanese immigration polic" reform! =hether support

organizations should #ecome political advocates appears to #e the least of their

concerns! eforms in Japan%s immigration policies ma" #e significant for Filipinos in

general$ as it is ith other migrant groups$ #ut it does not appear to #e hat the"

desire most at the moment!

Further research ma" ell consider e&panding the sample size and including

respondents from other prefectures to o#tain a countr"ide perspective! -t ma" also

#e important to adopt more comprehensive statistical tests to validate the surve"

results! Future research ma" also look into the role of #ureaucrats or agencies that

regulate the activities of nonprofit organizations to determine to hat e&tent the"discourage or encourage the activities of civil societ" organizations!

'eferences

ligica$ aul ragos! 2006! >-nstitutional and Stakeholder 8apping/ Frameorks

for olic" nal"sis and -nstitutional :hange!?Public Organization Review6$

DAMA0!

Brugha$ uairi$ and suzsa arvazovszk"! 2000! >Stakeholder nal"sis/ evie!?

Health Policy and Planning5H(3)$ 23A726!

:o##$ oger$ and :harles Glder! 5ADH!Participation in American Politics. TheDynamics of Agenda uilding! Baltimore/ Johns *opkins ress!

5H


16/16

:o##$ oger$ Jennie7.eith oss and 8arc *oard oss! 5AD6! >genda Building as

a :omparative olitical rocess!?American Political !cience ReviewD0(5)/

526753!

-arossi$ *einemann Gducational Book 1imited!

1inden#erg$ 8arc$ and Ben9amin :ros#"! 5A5!&anaging Development" The

Political Dimension! :onnecticut/ .umarian ress!

1oseke$ onileen! 2003! Thin)ing About !ocial Problems" An (ntroduction to+onstructionist Perspectives! Ne ork/ ldine de Stakeholder 8anagement and :orporate erformance!? Journal

of Behavioral Gconomics 5A()/ 3657DH!

eimann$ .im ! 2050! +he ise of Japanese N

vagrant voice final draft

Documents