Convergence in Foreigners' Rights and Citizenship Policy? A Look at Japan

Surak, Kristin

Abstract

Citizenship laws and immigrant rights in rich, democratic countries are widely understood to be converging. Since most accounts of convergence are based on Western examples, Japan is an important test case. I distinguish three theoretical accounts of convergence: global-institutionalist, liberal-democratic, and problem-solving perspectives. I then examine trends in foreigners’ rights in Japan since World War II in three domains: entrance, rights of residents, and citizenship. I find that convergence is occurring in
the expansion of rights, partially in access to the territory, but not in formal citizenship. While the liberal-democratic perspective fails to account for trends, a combination of global-institutionalist and problem-solving accounts provides the most powerful analytic insight into convergence processes.

Citation

Surak, K. (2008). Convergence in Foreigners' Rights and Citizenship Policy? A Look at Japan. International Migration Review, 42(3), 550-575. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1747-7379.2008.00137.x

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Publication Date: Jan 1, 2008
• Deposit Date: Feb 11, 2014
• Journal: International Migration Review
• Print ISSN: 0197-9183
• Electronic ISSN: 1747-7379
• Publisher: SAGE Publications
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 42
• Issue: 3
• Pages: 550-575
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1747-7379.2008.00137.x
• Keywords: international migration, policy, convergence, Japan