JapanImmigration in Asia
Japan
In Asia, the majority of immigration occurs within the continent itself. One significant figure reported in Asia comes from the Japanese Immigration Bureau. In 1999, this organization reported 84,767 Filipino immigrants arrived in Japan. In recent years, this figure has risen by almost 10,000. And even this number is lower than the actual amount since most of the workers from the Philippines come and go under the guise of "entertainers".
Besides human trafficking, Japan also has a significant problem with gangs entering the country. One of the most prominent groups is the Yakuza. There are an estimated 150 Yakuza members who are affiliated in 2,000 gangs. The Yakuza is the Japanese equivalent of the American mafia (and even have close ties with them), only immensely larger. While the American mafia is thought to have about 2,000 members, the Yakuza are comprised of approximately 150,000 members.
Despite banning ordinary workers from entering the country (such as waiters, etc), Japan's immigration policy fails to keeps such laborers from attaining such positions. But why do these people go through such lengths to work in Japan? The answer is simple: better pay. In the Philippines, many laborers can expect to earn about 200 pesos ($5) a day. In Japan however, even where salaries are among the lowest in Japan, one can expect to earn about 4,795 yen ($48) daily - almost 10 times that of their home country.
To cut down on immigration, the Japanese government passed an immigration law in February 2000 that makes illegal work a more serious offense and imposes stricter penalties for both the workers and those who employ them. While this law caused some concern among illegal workers, no cases of large-scale departures of such people were observed. However, despite these current numbers, the effect that these immigrants will have on this homogenous and secretive country is not yet known.
Russia
Illegal immigration is also a problem in Russia. An estimated 20 million people go to Russia annually as part of a post-Soviet "migration boom", half of which are illegal. Some estimates put the economic losses due to immigration at $7 billion each year because many immigrants evade taxes and duty payments. In addition, many immigrants transfer much of the money they earn to their families back home. For many of these receiving countries, this funding makes up a fairly large percentage of their GDP. For example, illegal money transfers make up 30% of Moldova's GDP and those sent to Tajikistan are twice as much as the country's budget. Today, many in Russia feel that immigration is a problem and that they are not willing to give up the homogenous nature of their country. Estimates show that by the end of the century, as immigration goes unchecked, the ethnic Russians will become the minority in their own country. However, with its rapidly shrinking population, some feel that immigration is the only way to save the country from plummeting in power.
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