The twofold strategy of temporariness in the Japanese immigration control system: The outcomes of a restrictive policy framework for “disguised refugees”, irregular and economic immigrants

Japan has only very recently started to be conceived as a migration desti-nation country, however, since the 1970s, its immigration has shown steadily growing numbers, highlighting the importance for researchers to shed light on the specificities of the Japanese immigration phenomenon. Nevertheless, the Japanese legal immigration framework is still consid-ered inadequate to address such a rise, and even more so when the legal framework on refugees and asylum seekers is taken into account. This contribution wishes to assess the outcomes of the Japanese Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act through the analysis of the Minis-try of Justice’s legal and administrative regulations, supported by recent sociological reflections. The observation of the phenomenon through the lens of time led to the identification of a twofold strategy grounded on temporariness that exercises its influence on refugees and irregular immi-grants, as well as economic immigrants.