Examination of Unemployment in Japan's Economy
Uploaded by spootyhead on Feb 19, 2007
Examination of Unemployment in Japan's Economy
Since World War II, Japan’s economy has seen incredible growth with rising prosperity and wealth, providing jobs and security for many as well as offering a broad range of opportunities for foreigners. This economic uptrend, however, was followed by a harsh letdown and one of the worst financial crises in recent economic history. Fluctuations in an economy are cyclical and pose consequences for the various demographics in its society. The burst of the Japanese bubble economy experienced these cyclical problems on a highly inflated level. The day laborers, foreign guest workers and emerging new homeless of Japan have since faced similar hardships as individuals seeking to fill spots in a dwindling job market. They face serious competition amongst each other, where changes in one demographic may strongly affect one another, and significant problems that illustrate some important underlying themes about Japanese attitudes toward employment in both a corporate and public sense.
As in any healthy economy, fluctuations are a normal occurrence. Competition in various markets creates new jobs and leaves behind old ones. What is often overlooked in the economics here is that with these jobs, many of the individuals working them are left behind as well. In his article, Guzewicz points out that society tends to emphasize economic success rather than failure. This has deep implication for the workers that are left behind, as they typically go unnoticed and under the radar. The day laborers, foreign guest workers and new homeless come to represent this group in Japan, as they are competing for many of the same lower-level and part time jobs. They are economically linked by their necessity for jobs to provide for themselves and their families. They are also linked by the inherent social struggle they face as the Japanese economy rebounds from its collapse. In such a tightly homogenous society as Japan is, group mentality and recognition creates a strong social influence on those unable to work or meet their financial obligations.
This economic link between the different working, or, trying-to-find-work groups, is clearly seen in the way by which the three demographics live in specific parts of the city; separate from the “respectable” Japanese. Fowler exemplifies this in his study of Sanya, a part of Tokyo that has historically been the geographic region occupied by the day laborers. These people have often left behind families and lives often because...