Negotiating Status in Japan : Case Analysis on Legalizing Irregular Filipino Migrants and the Role of State and Non-State Actors

This paper focuses on the interplay of “migration-institutions” and the peculiar experiences of former “undocumented” Filipino migrants as human agents in a quest to normalize their status through obtaining special permission to reside in Japan, on a case-to-case basis from the Japanese courts, either by reason of having their children born in Japan, or of having children born to a Japanese father out of wedlock. The issues of children’s citizenship in cases of international partnerships are complex, and this is where I seek to specifically study the nature of cases which involve migrants and their children in Japan, by documenting the processes they have experienced, from arrest and detention to arguing their case through the courts. Their complicated status makes their positions vulnerable – prone to abuses and even manipulation by anybody from whom they are seeking help. Consequently, I will incorporate discussion of transnationalism and network theory, as earlier studies suggest that migrants make use of all possible channels in their struggles to regularize their status, working through NGOs and/or advocacy groups, informal connections, and other sympathizers. The study will also discuss discourses on securitization of migration in relation to how the roles of governments (both of the host and sending country) come into play