Similarities in Challenges with Immigration and Acculturation
A comparison of immigration and acculturation in immigration between Japan and the United States shows several key similarities that the immigrants encounter. The first key similarity is on language barriers. Immigrants in Japan often find themselves facing a significant challenge in dealing with the language barrier, which impacts on their ability to interact and communicate with the local populations (Lufkin, 2018). That is also the case for immigrants coming into the United States, most of who find themselves experiencing communication challenges due to language barriers. The second notable similarity in the problems is on employment opportunities. Immigrants in Japan often encounter a wide array of employment issues such as wage theft and labour brokers, which impact on their abilities to maximize the existing employment opportunities. In the United States, immigrants often find themselves encountering similar challenges resulting in instances where most of the immigrants end up lacking employment.
Both the United States and Japanese governments have been on the forefront in seeking to adopt strategic policies that are aimed at creating adequate employment opportunities to match the demands. However, most of these opportunities are only directed at the residents with foreign immigrants find themselves being sidelined. The third notable similarity in the challenges between the two countries is on the cultural differences that immigrants are likely to encounter. Differences in culture is a critical challenge that immigrants are likely to face regardless of the country that they move to, as it becomes hard for them to assimilate into the new cultures effectively without experiencing difficulties (Leong, 2012). That is the vital issue of concern for immigrants moving into Japan and the United States, as they all encounter critical matters touching on the cultural differences within these countries.
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Differences in Challenges with Immigration and Acculturation
On the other hand, a comparison of immigration and acculturation in the two countries also highlights several notable differences. One of the significant differences is on housing. In Japan, the government has invested heavily in housing as a way of ensuring both Japanese and non-citizens can access quality and affordable housing (Komisarof & Hua, 2016). In the United States, the situation is different, considering that immigrants often find themselves experiencing challenges in finding housing units that would accommodate their needs. The difference between residents and immigrants, concerning housing, is evident considering that some of the house owners prefer to rent out their houses to the residents rather than giving them out to foreign immigrants.
Theme and Article
From the readings, the theme selected is on a rapidly changing Japanese age demographic, which is creating the need for the country to change its immigration approach. In the article “Japan begins immigration experiment,” https://www.japantimes.co.jp/opinion/2019/05/27/commentary/japan-commentary/japan-begins-immigration-experiment/#.XdBba1czbIV , Smith (2019) indicates that the rapid change in the age demographics has created the need for the Japanese government to ease the process of immigration. I selected this theme because it points to a present challenge that Japanese is facing, which has been brought out due to an ageing population in the country. Interestingly, I view this as an essential issue of concern for Japan, considering that the country is likely to lose its economic viability if it does not adopt a new strategy to dealing increase its younger population. That is why I selected the article, as it provides insight into some of the strategic approaches that the Japanese government is taking in trying to improve on the country's economic viability.
References
Komisarof, A., & Hua, Z. (Eds.). (2016). Crossing boundaries and weaving intercultural work, life, and scholarship in globalizing universities . London: Routledge.
Leong, C. (2012). Social markers of acculturation: A new research framework on intercultural adaptation . Retrieved from https://www-sciencedirect-com.tcsedsystem.idm.oclc.org/science/article/pii/S0147176713000886
Lufkin, B. (2018). More seniors, more foreigners: How Japan is rapidly changing . Retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20181210-more-seniors-more-foreigners-how-japan-is-rapidly-changing
Smith, N. (2019). Japan begins the immigration experiment . Retrieved from https://www.japantimes.co.jp/opinion/2019/05/27/commentary/japan-commentary/japan-begins-immigration-experiment/#.XdBba1czbIV
