Migration of Latin American workers to Japan: A solution to that country’s demographic problems?

Abstract

This article explores the pursuit of the social right to work, as manifested in the migration of Latin American workers to Japan. The first section summarizes the concept of citizenship in which work is seen as a social right; the second presents Latin American labor migration to Japan in the context of that country’s current demographic problems (aging and low birth rates). The article sheds light on two unexplored aspects of Latin American labor migration: the benefits it provides to Japan in solving its demographic problems, and the opening of non-traditional markets to Latin American migration.