Foreign Student Workforce: Interviews & Qualitative Analysis of International Student-Workers in Fukuoka city

Over the last five years the demographics and size of the foreign population of Japan has drastically changed and increased. This paper examines the recent trends in Japan in terms of the demographics of the foreign population with regards to immigration policy and how Japan is addressing its labor shortage problem. In particular, there is focus on the rapidly growing groups of Vietnamese, Nepalese, and Sri Lankan populations. This paper takes a closer look at Japanʼs sidedoor, de-facto immigration methods for non-specialized labor or so-called low-skill workers; specifically the practice of using foreign students and refugee/asylumseekers as a stop gap in a growing labor shortage crisis. Through qualitative interviews with foreign-students and refugee seekers who came to Japan with the intention to work, this paper offers a snapshot of a significant and rising trend in Japanʼs immigration system. From these first-hand accounts, we investigate the circumstances surrounding the individuals and gain in-depth and valuable knowledge of the contemporary situation.