Japanese returnees' reentry cultural struggles: Differences and commonalities in the research findings over time

Abstract

The rapid business globalization in the 1980s markedly increased the number of Japanese returnees. It is reported that approximately 50,000 returnees are currently enrolled in educational institutions in Japan, many of whom experience severe reverse culture shock. This paper reviews the most acknowledged educational research from among all ethnographic studies on Japanese returnees in English and Japanese from the 1980s onwards. The paper also explores returnees' reentry processes and factors that influenced their reentry, and analyzes differences and commonalities in returnees' reentry over time. The paper further suggests a framework for future research inquiries, and identifies further avenues for investigation. (100 words).