Reflections on the Human Condition - Api-fellowships.org

previous year and reached 64,817 in 2003, marking
an all-time high. Looking at the statistics by region,
the number of Asians has been on the rise reaching
59,501 in 2003 and accounting for 91.8% of the
total, followed by Africa (1,621, accounting for 2.5%)
and South America (1,250, accounting for 1.9%). By
nationality (place of origin), the largest number came
from China at 38,319 in 2003, accounting for 59.1%
of the total, followed by Indonesia (5,597 accounting
for 8.6%), Viet Nam (4,028 accounting for 6.2%), the
Philippines (3,618 accounting for 5.6%), and Thailand
(3,119 accounting for 4.8%) increased 13.9% from a
year earlier in 2002. (2004 Immigration Control, 13-
14; Office of Labor Affairs in Japan: 2005, 7)
2.2 Illegal Foreign Workers
The estimated number of overstayers (those who
illegally stay in Japan beyond the permitted period of
stay without obtaining permission for an extension or
change of status of residence) was 219,418 as of January
1, 2004. This number has slightly decreased by 1,134
(0.5%) from 220,552 on January 1, 2003. Looking
at the number of overstayers by nationality (place
of origin), the largest number was from R.O.Korea
(46,425 accounting for 21.2%) as of January 1,2004;
followed by China (33,522 accounting for 15.3%), the
Philippines (31,428 accounting for 14.3%), Thailand
(14,334 accounting for 6.50%) with 6,148 male and
8,186 female; Malaysia (8,476 accounting for 3.9%),
Taiwan (7,611 accounting for 3.5%), and Indonesia
(7,246 accounting for 3.3%). The number of overstayers
from Thailand steadily decreased from May 1, 1993.
(Table 3) Most of the Thai overstayers had a residential
status of “Temporary Visitors”, with some “Trainees”.
The statistics of the estimated number of overstayers by
status of residence before having overstayed show that the
largest number of overstayers originally had “Temporary
Visitor” status (150,326) accounting for 68.5% of the
total. The second largest number had resident status of
“Entertainer” (11,974 accounting for 5.5%), followed
by “Pre-college Student” (9,511 accounting for 4.3%),
“College Student” (6,672 accounting for 3.0%), and
“Trainee” (3,959 accounting for 1.8%). Most of the
Thai overstayers had “Temporary Visitor” status with
some “Trainees” (Table 4). (2004 Immigration Control,
38-41; Office of Labor Affairs in Japan: 2005, 8)
The estimated number of Thai overstayers in Japan
rapidly boomed between 1991- 1993. But this number
steadily decreased down to 14,334 in 1997 (Table 5).
THE EMPOWERING THE POOR AND VULNERABLE
353
In 2003, the largest number of deported foreign nationals
were deported from Tokyo (39.6%), followed by other
big cities such as Saitama, Kanagawa, Chiba, Aichi,
Osaka, Ibaraki, Gunma, and Nagano. The number of
deported foreign nationals from these 10 cities made
up 86.3% of the total. Mostly, the deportees were aged
between 20 and 39 years old (70.1%). There were more
males than females for the group aged 25 years and up.
However, there were more females than males for the 25
years old and younger age group. The report found that
47.8% worked longer than three years while 30.6%
worked longer than five years. Looking at income, this
was also increasing. Those who earned 3,000-5,000 Yen
a day (around US$27-45) and 5,000-7,000 Yen a day
(US$45-63) experienced an income decline but those
who earned 7,000-10,000 Yen a day (US$63-90) had an
increased income. Most worked with small enterprises
and one owner businesses (or family businesses). (Office
of Labor Affairs in Japan: 2005, 14)
2.3 Trafficked Thai Women
The late 1970s and early 1980s were the beginning
of large-scale trafficking of women into Japan from
Thailand, the Philippines, and other countries in
Southeast and East Asia. The trafficking of women
from Thailand to Japan involves a wide range of actors:
the initial recruiter who contacts the women; the agent
in Thailand who pays the recruiter, arranges travel
documents, and holds the women until they are ready to
leave; the escorts who accompany the women to Japan,
often via other countries such as Singapore, Malaysia or
South Korea; the brokers who meet the women upon
their arrival and pay the agent for delivering them; and
the procurers who run the sex establishments and pay
large sums of money to the brokers for the acquisition
of the women. When trafficked women arrived in
Japan, they are taken to a broker who negotiates their
job placement arrangements. The women themselves
have no input in this process: no opportunity to select
or refuse an employer or a voice in setting the terms
of the “contract”. (Human Rights Watch 2000; Kinsey
2002, 4-5; Pataya: 2001, 9-10)
3. BACKGROUND OF THAI MIGRANT
WORKERS IN JAPAN
Interviews were done with 67 residents, composed of 35
male respondents (52.2%) and 31 female respondents
(46.3%). The majority of respondents were older than
30 years old (65.6%) with an average age of 41 years old.
Twenty three persons or 34.3 percent of respondents
were from the 40-49 age group. Furthermore, 31.3
percent of respondents’ age fell within the range of 30-
Ref lections on the Human Condition: Change, Conflict and Modernity
The Work of the 2004/2005 API Fellows