Reflections on the Human Condition - Api-fellowships.org

354 SESSION V
39 years old. However, the age range of the total sample
was from 19 years of age (2 persons) and 60 years of
age (2 persons). One of the 60 year old respondents has
stayed in Japan for 19 years. She had come to work as a
domestic helper when she was 41 years old. The other
60-year old respondent came to work in Japan when he
was 46 years old. He now stays illegally and works as a
daily wage worker.
Regional Origin in Thailand
Twenty eight persons, comprising 41.8 percent of the
total sample, came from the Northern and Northeastern
parts of Thailand. Seven respondents (10.4%) came
from the central part of Thailand and four respondents
(6.0%) came from Bangkok. After cross tabulating
the relationship between age and regional origin in
Thailand, the result showed that those who came from
Northern part of Thailand had an average age ranging
between 30-39 years old and the majority were female.
Moreover, the majority of those who came from the
Northeastern part of Thailand fell within the 40-49 age
group and the majority were male.
In terms of marital status, there were 19 persons who
were single or who had left their spouses behind in
Thailand (28.4%). There were 14 persons who were
divorced (20.9%), 11 persons who were separated,
(16.4%) and 4 persons who were widowed (6%).
Among the respondents, there were seven persons who
were married and had children in Japan. The survey also
found that most of married respondents had one or two
children left behind in Thailand.
For educational background, the survey found that 59
respondents (88.1%) had lower than a bachelor degree
level. There were 25 persons (37.3%), and 23 persons
(34.4%) who graduated from the primary school
level and secondary school level, respectively. Only 11
persons (16.4%) had graduated from vocational school
and 6 persons (9.0%) had a bachelor degree.
For professional background before entering Japan, most
of the respondents worked as daily wage workers such
as carpenters, maintenance workers, clerks, retailers,
factory workers, domestic workers, and teachers. Some
respondents had their own businesses in Thailand
such as setting up agricultural irrigation, a book store,
a motorcycle repair shop, an air conditioning repair
shop, and a general store selling vegetables, food, and
cloth. There were only a few who worked in agriculture.
Before entering Japan, the remaining three respondents
had studied in junior high school (15 years of age), high
school (19 years of age), and vocational school (21 years
Ref lections on the Human Condition: Change, Conflict and Modernity
The Work of the 2004/2005 API Fellows
of age). Finally, five respondents had just come back
from working abroad before re-migrating to Japan,
from Taiwan, Hong Kong, or Saudi Arabia.
For international migration experience, about one-third
of the respondents (21 persons) had worked abroad
previously. The main destination countries were Saudi
Arabia (5 persons), Hong Kong (5 persons), Taiwan
(3 persons), and Singapore (3 persons). The rest of the
respondents had worked in the following countries
before entering Japan, Korea (5 persons), Brunei, Israel,
Iraq, and the United States. The study also found that
5 respondents had come to work in Japan before; one
of them had come to Japan illegally four times since
1992.
3.1 Channels of Entry to Japan
The brokerage system was the major channel that
respondents used to enter Japan. About 35.8 percent
of respondents paid the fee in advance to brokers in
Thailand before departing for Japan. Some respondents
(25.4%) arranged their own trip to Japan by using a
tourist visa or trainee visa, and then overstayed illegally
in Japan. Unfortunately, some respondents (23.9%)
were the prey of female traffickers. After entering Japan,
they were forced into sex work with a “debt” that they
had to work off to their employers—Mama-san [owner
of the Japanese bar]. Some respondents had been
legally working in Japan with a working visa or training
visa, such as domestic workers, chefs (10.4 %), and
apprentices (4.5%).
The channels of entry to Japan were different for each
group. For the first group using illegal brokers in
Thailand, the Thai job seekers needed to pay the fee
denominated in Thai Baht currency before leaving for
Japan. The brokers arranged the whole trip for them,
including processing documentation, and travel route
planning, without job placement arrangement, done
by the brokers who come to recruit the job seekers in
the village and the brokers who work with agencies in
Bangkok. Normally, the Thai job seekers who used the
brokerage system were males and a few females who did
not go to work as sex worker in Japan. This group has
mostly entered Japan since 1991. For around one-third
of this group, 14 people who entered Japan between
1989 and 1991, the fee was much cheaper than for those
who were trafficked to Japan, who were required to pay
between 100,000-400,000 Thai Baht for the processing
fee to illegal brokers. Subsequently, Thai job seekers had
to pay an expensive brokerage fee of more than 200,000
Thai Baht in the year 1992. The brokerage fee reached a
peak of 400,000 Thai Baht in 1997.