Development Without Spatial Concentration: The Filipino Ethnic Economy in Japan

Research on ethnic economy formation revolves around immigrants’ spatial concentration in defined and often segregated areas that provide essential resources for the establishment of ethnic businesses. However, some immigrant groups are spatially dispersed or do not live in ethnic clusters. This study investigates the development processes of an ethnic economy where the ethnic enclave of an immigrant group is lacking. Filipino immigrants are the fourth most populous minority group in Japan, but they do not possess identifiable enclaves. Despite this, numerous Filipino ethnic shops exist across the country. To explore the development of the Filipino ethnic economy, the author interviewed eleven Filipino shop proprietors between January and May 2023 in Aichi, home to the largest Filipino minority population in Japan. The study finds that Filipino ethnic entrepreneurs in Japan rely on accumulated class resources over time to overcome the absence of an ethnic enclave and adopt a strategy of progressively integrating into the ethnic economy while engaged in mainstream employment. Moreover, the development of the Filipino ethnic economy in Japan indicates that ethnic enterprises can function as versatile hubs beyond economic transactions to help preserve ethnic identities and maintain of social bonds among spatially dispersed minority groups.