Who Left and Who Stayed? The Selection of Brazilian Returnees from Japan

         
Author Name HASHIMOTO Yuki (Fellow, RIETI)
Creation Date/NO. April 2020 20-P-013
Research Project Empirical Studies on Employment, Migration, and Family Issues of Foreigners in Japan
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Abstract

This paper examines the characteristics of Brazilian immigrants who have remained in Japan after the financial crisis and those who returned to their home country in order to understand skill and occupational selectivity. Our analysis reveals that it is likely that people who were under 30 or highly educated left Japan, in addition to those who lacked Japanese proficiency. Those who had stayed in Japan for less than 5 years, and those who were single, went back to Brazil earlier. This is consistent with the findings in the return migration literature in other countries. In addition, the analysis of data from the re-employment support service for returnees shows that highly-skilled workers returned home relatively late, that non-skilled immigrants tended to receive financial aid from the Japanese government, and that early return to Brazil and receipt of the financial aid was correlated with dissatisfaction with the job they received in Japan, which are new findings in this study.