The politics of exclusion: embedded racism and Japan’s pilot Refugee Resettlement Programme

Abstract

This article discusses the socio-political significance of Japan’s pilot Refugee Resettlement Programme (RRP). It asks three questions: why Japan adopted this programme, why it has failed to meet its targets, and whether this programme signals a significant shift in Japan’s restrictive policies towards refugees and immigration more broadly. Insights from critical race theory suggest that the context of race remains a key determinant for understanding Japan’s historical and contemporary refugee policies and discourse. The article concludes that embedded racism was prevalent in decisions surrounding the pilot RRP and, as such, despite the appearance of change, race continues to be solidly rooted in Japan’s policies and discourses. In such a light, any serious strategy to revamp immigration and refugee policies in Japan needs to bring the country’s history of racism to the forefront of the discussion.