(Japanese) In terms of dekasegi, many Nikkei Paraguayan came to Japan for work. In our colony in Paraguay, the Japanese language education is highly valued. The Nikkei workers from Paraguay can speak Japanese quite fluently and are looked upon in high regard in the Japanese workplace. However, many are married to Paraguayans, who encounter difficulties through language barriers and differences in customs. Because of the economy, there are of course numerous reports to the embassy of cases of lay-offs and people without places to go.
At the embassy, immigrant workers are either recommended to return back to Paraguay, or depending on their Japanese language ability and flexibility with different working positions, advised to try to endure decreased hours and wait for the economy to turn around. In other cases, people who have lived in Japan for a few years, about 5 to 10 years, and have a good amount of savings, are recommended a temporary return to Paraguay to wait for the Japanese economy to recover. Many have followed this advice and returned to Paraguay.
Date: March 24, 2009
Location: Tokyo, Japan
Interviewer: Alberto Matsumoto
Contributed by: Watase Media Arts Center, Japanese American National Museum
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