抄録
Since the mid-1980s, the number of Japanese-Brazilian immigrants to Japan has continued to increase. Various urban and regional studies have been conducted in certain residential areas where these Japanese-Brazilian immigrants to Japan are living. The issues discussed in these studies, specifically 1)the development of Japanese-Brazilian communities and networks, 2)interpersonal and inter-group relations between Japanese-Brazilian immigrants and local Japanese residents and 3)the length of residence in Japan have all been designated as "the development of lifestyle after immigration" for the purpose of this study.
Previous studies have found that the development of lifestyle varied by residential area. However, these studies have been based almost exclusively on case studies from areas of Japan with high concentrations of Japanese-Brazilian immigrants, and have relied extensively on explanations from the perspective of community studies.
Therefore, in order to study more specific factors contributing to the differential conditions of Japanese-Brazilian immigrants' lifestyle development in various residential areas in Japan, and to provide an analytical framework for more comprehensive discussion, this study collected data through case studies and questionnaires in Komatsu City, Ishikawa Prefecture, where relatively few Japanese-Brazilians reside. This study also compared Komatsu with other previously studied areas with regarding to a few specific factors, and found that the development of Japanese-Brazilian communities and networks in Komatsu was comparatively weak. In addition, relations with the local Japanese residents were limited, and the length of residence was generally shorter than in the areas previously studied.
This study concludes that the differences in conditions found in various residential areas can be partially attributed to the following three factors; the local concentration of Japanese-Brazilian immigrants, local differences in the immigration process, and variations in local labor markets.
