Brazilian-Japanese Reverse Diaspora, Labour and Entrepreneurship – Reflections on Sustainable Ethnic Migration Policies

Ethnic migration policy is rarely examined in labour market and migrant entrepreneurship research. The phenomenon of return migration among third generation 'dekasseguis', who are Brazilian citizens of Japanese heritage represents one solution for Japan struggling with is economic future. The integration of ethnic migrants into Japanese society and economy needs attention. In the present paper, we explore this circular migration and examine reverse diaspora dynamics and economic participation. The study encompasses a literature review on the diaspora evolution, survey data (n=605), and an exploratory and descriptive documentary analysis. It included representatives of Brazilian citizens' groups, community leaders in Japan, and official representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Relations. We discovered the significant role of historical ethnic ties, transgenerational diaspora, and entrepreneurial migration policies as antecedents shaping migrant entrepreneurship and employment. We revealed unsupportive and discriminatory policies toward ethnic migrants, questioning the sustainability of these practices. These findings suggest that considering factors such as language proficiency, country of origin, previous residence, duration of residing abroad, professional experience, education, and plans for settlement would foster migrant entrepreneurship and diasporic-migratory superdiversity, contributing positively to societal integration, international business and the Japanese economy. We also contribute to policymaking by highlighting that existing Japanese social and cultural integration programs do not match the diverse needs of different generations of reverse diasporans and co-ethnic returnees.