Traditionally characterized as ethnically homogenous and hostile toward foreigners, Japan recently has become more inclusive from the ground up – a surprising democratic side effect of the growing presence of illegal immigrants, according to a new book by Apichai Shipper, assistant professor of political science and international relations at USC College.

“Despite its antiforeigner image of the past, Japan has achieved a surprisingly high degree of civility in its accommodation of foreign workers, including illegal ones,” Shipper said. “This achievement, which advances more inclusive democracy in Japan, is credited not to government efforts.”

Indeed, in his new book, Fighting for Foreigners: Immigration and its Impact on Japanese Democracy (Cornell University Press, 2008), Shipper notes that state dominance in Japan is still very strong, but autonomous organizations slowly are gaining a foothold in the Japanese democratic process.

In particular, nongovernmental organizations fighting on behalf of immigrants demonstrate the increasing influence civic groups can have on the state, Shipper explained. There are two million registered foreigners in Japan and an estimated 240,000 people who illegally entered the country or overstayed their visas.

“Immigration policies in Europe and the United States deal explicitly with the integration of immigrants into their societies,” Shipper said. “In contrast, those in Asia are designed to deal with workers, not immigrants.”

While Western governments typically guarantee illegal aliens certain basic rights and social services regardless of legal status, Shipper pointed out that many Asian countries actively discourage settlement by denying even legal immigrants certain benefits of citizenship such as free public medical care or free public education. For example, foreign spouses in Japan are not listed in the “family register,” which is required for many business transactions such as home purchases or loan applications.

“Foreigners, especially illegal foreign workers, arguably are the most easily oppressed and exploited in advanced industrial societies,” Shipper said.

Shipper coins the term “associative activism” to describe how the presence of poorly treated immigrants has led Japanese citizens in recent years to push the local and national government to adopt new policies, thereby advancing social democracy in Japan.

Japan is now the only country in Asia to provide legal channels to permanent residency for illegal immigrants. Moreover, Japan is the only country in Asia to offer public education even to the children of illegal foreigners.

Nongovernmental organizations headed by Japanese citizens speaking on behalf of illegal immigrants have successfully pressured the government to adopt a plan to combat human trafficking, to grant certain overstayed foreigners “special residence permission” and to extend national health insurance to certain foreigners. Over a four-year period beginning in 2000, Japan granted permanent residence to more than 40,000 illegal immigrants.

“It is the new, and especially illegal, foreigners whose presence has reinvigorated Japanese activists and civil society,” Shipper said.

“These activists have forced government officials to reflect on Japan’s national identity and to negotiate a new social contract with citizens for all those who reside on their islands.”