Abstract
Issues surrounding foreign workers in Japan have changed drastically over the past few dacades. The move from "internationalization" to "globalization" has brought about these changes. Concerning "internationalization," a move has taken place from "internationalization I" ( friendship between the nations) to "internationalization II" (coexistence of ethnic groups). During the past twenty years, the number of "new comers" has increased. It is now necessary to analyze both "old comers" and "new comers." In this article, I indicate two main points. Firstly, we are accustomed to thinking that foreign workers are those who are eager to occupy the "3K jobs." But today, many foreigners with great talents and high qualifications are working in Japanese companies. Secondly, foreigners are not only permanent residents but also Nikkeijin who repeatedly come from and go to the South American countries. These two categories of foreign workers are found in many host countries. So, in accordance with this diversification of foreign workers, we must adopt not only an "integration paradigm" which focuses on how to integrate foreigners to the host society, but also a "transnational paradigm" which focuses on today's transnational or post-national context.
