NGO support for migrant labor in Japan

As the numbers of foreign workers has increased, so have NGOs sprang up to support them. In this chapter I will concentrate on how undocumented migrant workers are served by non-governmental organizations in the greater Tokyo/Yokohama area.1 By examining these organizations and their activities, we can see the importance of gender in the migration process. In other words, the demand for certain categories of employment is highly gender-specific, with most undocumented male workers entering construction and factory work, and a majority of undocumented women workers as well as “entertainers�? with legal visas entering the so-called “water trades.�?2 Thisdifferentiation leads to major differences in men’s and women’s experiences of migration. Most importantly it affects the degree to which they can control their daily lives, and the degree to which they can seek redress for violations of their human rights when these occur. This chapter also provides an example of how NGOs uphold human rights and advocate fair treatment of foreign residents within Japan.