Yonsei: Fourth generation Japanese descendant

Everything started in the early 20th century when Japan was overcrowded after being isolated from the rest of the world for approximately 200 years. With the end of this period, Japan began to modernize, which caused unemployment for thousands of peasants, leading to economic and social problems. Therefore, the Japanese Government decided to encourage the emigration of its inhabitants through agreements with other countries such as the USA, Peru, Mexico, and Brazil. The first Japanese in Brazil arrived in 1908, when the Kasato Maru docked in Santos with 781 workers for the coffee farms. Immigration continued until 1973; close to 190,000 Japanese made that crossing, and Brazil is now home to about 2 million Nikkei descendants.

Nikkei means Japanese people and their descendants living outside Japan. Brazil is currently the country with the highest concentration of Nikkei.

• Issei – Japanese who came to Brazil – first generation;
• Nisei (often written Nissei in Brazil) – Child of the Japanese – second generation;
• Sansei – Grandchild of the Japanese – third generation;
• Yonsei – Great-grandchild of the Japanese – fourth generation;

Contents 5

Visa for Yonsei

In 1980, Japan needed labor, and laws began to be created to facilitate the entry of foreign workers into the country. In 1990, the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act was amended, allowing Nikkei up to the third generation (Sansei) and their spouses to enter the country and engage in any paid activity with a relatively long Long-Term Resident status. For Yonsei, it remained more complicated: they could usually go to Japan if they were minors, unmarried, and accompanied by parents who already held that status. After the age of 16, and especially after becoming adults, that dependent path became harder to use on its own.

Work visa for Yonsei

What many Yonsei wanted — and kept trying to demonstrate to the Japanese authorities — was the right to a work status in the same way that the second and third generations have. That still does not happen by descent alone. An adult Yonsei does not receive Long-Term Resident status simply for being the great-grandchild of a Japanese emigrant. A Yonsei child of a Sansei who already holds Long-Term Resident status can still enter as a dependent if the child is a minor, unmarried, biologically the parent's child, and financially dependent on that parent.

For adults, Japan opened a different door in 2018: the Further Acceptance System for Fourth-Generation Japanese Descendants. It is a designated-activities status, not the Sansei visa and not a Working Holiday visa. Yonsei who qualify can stay in Japan for up to five years in total, take part in activities meant to deepen their understanding of Japanese language and everyday life, and work to the extent needed to cover living costs. They need an unpaid supporter in Japan, they cannot bring family members on this status, and the annual cap is 4,000 people.

The first version of the program, limited to ages 18 to 30, drew far fewer residents than that cap. By the end of 2022, only 128 people were in Japan under the visa. In December 2023 the Immigration Services Agency eased the rules: the age limit rose to 35, Japanese ability has to be shown at entry (about JLPT N4, or N5 in some cases, and N3 for applicants aged 31 to 35), and after five years a Yonsei who reaches about JLPT N2 can apply to change to Long-Term Resident status.

Working holiday visa

Before that program existed, the public debate in Brazil still pointed to a Working Holiday visa. This type of visa, where two countries have a reciprocal agreement, allows the applicant to stay for a certain period, study, and even find a job to help with expenses. Typical restrictions include:

• Age limit for the applicant (usually from 18 to 30 or 35 years);
• Time limit for work (for example a short contract, sometimes with a weekly hour cap);
• The applicant must have enough money to support themselves while looking for a job;
• The applicant must have some form of travel or health insurance during the stay;

These are just examples of how the Working Holiday visa generally works. Brazil is not on Japan's regular Working Holiday list, which is one reason Yonsei there were asking for a specific route rather than waiting for that kind of agreement.

Working Holiday visa for Yonsei

The Japanese deputy Jiro Kawasaki from the LDP (Liberal Democratic Party) was part of the committee that dealt with the labor shortage and the incentive for entry into the job market. Here’s what the deputy said about Yonsei to Silvia Kikuchi from Alternativa Online:

“We started with an immediate proposal for Working Holiday and with the condition of learning Japanese, we want to increase the number of yonseis. We are hopeful. Under the Working Holiday system, people come and stay for a year in Japan to work, just like scholarship holders. But we are thinking of extending the period to three years only in the case of nikkeis. First of all, we are happy with the arrival of nikkeis, but our main concern is with the education of children. The Working Holiday will be quick; it won't take that long.”

Silvia asked: -Maybe a year?

The deputy's response: -Yes!

The expectation at the time was that within a year (the interview aired on 06/16/2017), the visa for Yonsei, which would initially be a Working Holiday, would be released. Japan did open a Yonsei path in 2018, but it was the designated-activities program described above, later revised in 2023. The interview still shows how the discussion started: language study, a limited stay, and the hope that Nikkei would arrive as more than factory labor.

How Japan benefits from the arrival of Yonsei

Japan has been suffering from an aging population and a labor shortage, among other problems. The arrival of Yonsei will not, by itself, close that gap — the first years of the program never came close to the 4,000-person cap. What the current system does is more modest: a limited stay, Japanese language study, and work to cover living costs, with a supporter helping the newcomer settle. The Japanese Government wants closer contact between these descendants and Japanese society so that, after returning, they can serve as a bridge with Nikkei communities abroad. If that works, the relationship between Japan and Brazil stays practical rather than only ceremonial.

Article submitted by Matheus Takeda