Career Development for Foreign Residents in Japan

Case Study of an Indonesian Immigrant Worker Community

Abstract

　This paper describes the career development of foreign residents in Japan, based on the case of members of the Indonesian immigrant worker community in the town of Ōarai , Ibaraki Prefecture. Previous studies have pointed out a strong relationship between career development and Japanese language acquisition, not only for foreign employees working for Japanese companies, but also for individuals employed in the Technical Intern Training Program. In the case of the members of the Ōarai community as well, one of the major factors hindering career development in Japan has been the lack of progress in Japanese language acquisition. In fact the author found that most members of the Ōarai Indonesian community are still at the beginning level, as ascertained with the Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI), but that a few members of the community have reached the intermediate level. After clarifying the process by which they achieved this level, the author suggests how to create an environment that will facilitate this process. The author also mentions the possibility that the Manabi-no-Wa (“Learners' Circle”) activities currently implemented in Ōarai-machi could serve as a venue for career development.