Internationalization of Yokohama : One out of 50 citizens is a foreign national
The number of registered foreign residents in Yokohama has increased rapidly from the late 1980's, and now approaches 80 thousand people from over 150 countries. The number of registered foreign residents in Yokohama is now more than 2% of the total population of Yokohama and is increasing by 3-4 thousand each year. Taking a look at each ward, the number of registered foreign residents in Naka-ward is more than 10% of the total population, the highest of any wards, followed by Minami-ward and Tsurumi-ward at a little less than 4% each.
The top 10 number of registered foreign nationals are from: 1 China, 2 Korea, 3 Philippines, 4 Brazil, 5 U.S.A., 6 Peru, 7 Vietnam, 8 Thailand, 9 India, 10 United Kingdom. Recently, the number of so-called "Newcomers" from Asia and South America has been increasing.
Annual change in the number of foreign residents recorded at the end of March of each year
According to an announcement made by the Immigration Bureau of the Ministry of Justice, the number of registered foreign residents in Japan has steadily increased, and reached 1.74% of the total population at the end of 2008. The top nationalities of registered residents are from China, Korea, Brazil, Philippines, Peru and the U.S.A.. Categorized by status of residency, permanent residents top the list followed by special permanent residents, long-term residents, spouses and children of Japanese nationals, and foreign students studying in Japan. The situation in Yokohama is similar.
According to the Population Survey Report in 2008 made by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, 5.1% of marriages in Japan in 2008 were international marriages. In Yokohama the number of international marriages is also increasing, and is contributing to the increasing number of foreign residents in Yokohama.
Issues on Internationalization
Foreign residents are settling in Japan and the number of those who bring their families to Japan is increasing. Cultural differences and the lack of effective communication hinders the resolution of marital and family issues, as well as issues affecting employment, medical care, financial well-being and community interaction. These issues sometimes turn into serious problems.
The lack of Japanese language skills can impede a foreign national's ability to communicate their concerns at ward offices and getting the administrative information and assistance that they require. These problems are also the same in schools. Parents have difficulties communicating with the school teachers and administrators and often their children may not do well in class.
The role of YOKE
Yokohama Association for International Communications and Exchanges (YOKE) was established in 1981. In the beginning, YOKE's main tasks were supporting economical and technical exchanges, citizens' international exchanges and promoting international cooperation. Since then, YOKE has shifted its main focus to "Internationalization in the community", such as support for foreign citizens, foreign students, and international organizations based in Yokohama.
As YOKE puts more emphasis on the support of foreign residents in the context of "Internationalization in the community", it implements various programs, such as providing information, consultations, interpretation services, and Japanese language classes in cooperation with the citizens. Furthermore, YOKE also promotes projects such as "Human Resource Development for Global Activities", "Promotion of International Cooperation" and "Providing Information of International Exchanges".
⇒ Message from our Chairperson
Response by the Japanese Government and the City of Yokohama
The Japanese government has designated "Multi-Cultural Community" as an important national project. In March 2006, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications announced its "Multicultural Community Promoting Plan in Local Areas" and has asked municipalities to reflect the plan in their policies.
Yokohama's response : One of seven important policies in its mid-term plan for the 2006-2010 period is the "Promotion of a Fully Internationalized Community", a community in which foreigners can live and work easily. In February, 2009, as a leading internationalized municipality, Yokohama adopted a policy called "International Strategy". A backbone of the strategy is to create a "community in which people like to live in and to settle down".