Megha Wadhwa

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Free University of Berlin

Indian Professionals in Japan and Singapore: Migration Trends, Labor Integration and Challenges

In recent years, new graduates and working professionals in India have started to consider Japan as an option for migration. Yet building a life and career and growing professionally in the country have long been considered major challenges for migrants moving to Japan. This project investigates the experiences of skilled Indian migrants working in different companies and professions in Japan. In addition, it examines the hiring process through interviews with agency staff in Japan and India who are involved in supporting the new graduates and Indian professionals as they move to Japan. After a decade-long period of ethnographic research on the identity of the Indian Diaspora in Tokyo and its vicinity, Dr. Wadhwa dives deeper into the structural changes and (in)stability in the migration trends of Indians to Japan. To what extent does their ‘fairytale’ image of Japan match the reality, leading to a happy migratory experience? Or does it turn out to be closer to a ‘nightmare,’ leaving them questioning their choice of migration destination?
This project will be conducted over a period of four years and will use visual ethnographic methods involving life-history interviewing with Indian migrants, and the agencies and the fieldwork will be conducted in Tokyo and its vicinity, and in India, where the regions covered will be Delhi, Gurgaon, Chennai, Pune and Bangalore.
As a side-project, Dr. Wadhwa will also do research amongst the Indian professionals in Singapore and Berlin, following the same methodology as for her Japan-based project. Through this side-project she aims to examine similarities and differences between the experiences of the Indian migrants to different host destinations, which will help in understanding the traits of Indian migrants and also contribute to comprehending the concept of skilled migration to Japan from a comparative perspective.
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Dr. Megha Wadhwa is a migration researcher and Japanese and South Asian Studies scholar. She is a Research Associate at Free University of Berlin, and a visiting scholar at Sophia University, Tokyo, which is also her alma mater. Her research passion lies in understanding the similarities and differences in the migration trends of Indians in Japan, Germany and other places around the globe. Her research focuses on identity, ethnicity, race, social class, women, and skills in migration. She is originally from New Delhi and was a resident of Tokyo for about 15 years before she moved to Berlin in 2021. She is the author of the book ‘Indian Migrants in Tokyo: A Socio-Cultural, Religious and Working Worlds’ (Routledge:2021). She is also trained in fieldwork filming, and her recent documentaries are ‘Daughters from Afghanistan’ (2019) and the 7-minute documentary ‘Indian cooks in Japan.’ (2020)
Book
(2021)
Indian Migrants in Tokyo: A Study of Socio-Cultural, Religious and Working Worlds, Oxan and New York:Routledge. Reviewed by The Japan Times, Nikkei Asia., Social Science Japan Journal, International Institute of Asian Studies Reviews, Transitions: Journal of Transient Migration
Publications 
(2022)
Getting Pregnant and Giving Birth: The Journey of Married Indian Migrant Women in Japan, International Journal of South Asian Studies, Volume 12, 37 – 48.
(2020)
In the age of COVID-19 – Indian restaurants and the Indian cooks in Japan, The Asia-Pacific Journal, Japan Focus.
(2017)
Opportunities and Challenges in a Foreign Land: A Study of Indian Resident Community in Tokyo and its Vicinity, Occasional Papers(Monograph Series), Institute of Asian Cultures, Sophia University.
(2016)
Binding Indians Abroad: Religious Participation of Indian Migrants in Tokyo, The Journal of Sophia Asian Studies No. 34, 113-134.
(2011)
The Plight of Women in India, The Journal of Sophia Asian Studies No. 29, Sophia University, 85-92.
Articles 

(2024)

Why India is failing to protect its women?, The Japan Times, March 15.
How patriarchy perpetuates among Tokyo’s Indian migrants, The Japan Times, January 3.

(2023)

Beating the odds-on Japan’s controversial foreign trainee program, The Japan Times, December 18.

Japan needs Indians. How can it attract them? The Japan Times, November 6.

(2021)

For one dancer, the Mohiniyattam became a step to unlocking a whole new world, The Japan Times, October 25.
Discriminatory re-entry ban scars Indian migrant’ love for Japan, Medium, June 28.

‘Immigrant Japan’ : An expansive account of the migrant experience, a book review, The Japan Times, March 20.

(2020)

Keerthana Mariappan: ‘People recognize the potential of India as an economic and cultural partner’, The Japan Times, September 13.

Cyril Veliath: ‘As Indians, we have plenty to be proud of’, The Japan Times, August 23.

Re-entry ban horror stories pile up in Japan’s Indian community, The Japan Times, August 10.

Pandemic leaves Indian cooks in Japan dependent on bosses and the state, The Japan Times, June 21.

Yogendra ‘Yogi’ Puranik – The first Indian voice in Tokyo politics, Published in The Japan Times, February 6.

An Indian take on Japanese film, Published in The Japan Times March 18.

(2018)

Indian women in Japan struggle to find their niche, The Japan Times, October 28.

Chandru G. Advani, 1924-2018: ‘Uncle’ to Japan’s Indian community, The Japan Times, March 21.

(2017)

Surviving sexual assault in Japan, then victimized again, The Japan Times, September 28. (co-authored with Ben Stubbings).

(2016)

How Modi-Abe bonhomie is giving a boost to India-Japan ties, The Mail Today, India, August 26.

Sikhs hope temple in Tokyo sets the stage for tolerance and understanding, The Japan Times, August 25.

(2015)

Indians in Japan: A love story beset with challenges, The Japan Times, June 17.

 

Academic Conferences/Workshops/ Talks

(2024)

– The Invisibility of Skills of Married Indian Migrant Women in Japan, Association of Asian Studies, Seattle, March 14-17, 2024.

(2023)

– Does gender matter? Indian migrant women in Japan finding their niche, EAJS (European Association for Japanese Studies, Ghent, August 17-21, 2023.

– Roundtable Presentation:  Looking at My Field without and with the Camera: Filming as a Method for Migration Studies, at the XX ISA World Congress of Sociology, Melbourne, June 25-July 1, 2023.

– Gender in Skilled Migration: Beyond Western Perspectives, Session Co-Organizer and Chair at the XX ISA World Congress of Sociology, Melbourne, June 25-July 1, 2023. (This session is a part of of the research project ‘Qualification and skill in the Migration Process of Foreign Workers in Asia, supported by Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).

– Seeing the Unseen: Fieldwork experiences with camera and in the editing room, part of R04a “Speculative Filmmaking: Expanding Ethnography”, Royal Anthropological Institute Film Festival, Online Conference, 6-10 March 2023.

(2022)

– Migrationsforschung und Corona – Ansätze zur Überwindung neuer und alter Grenzen in Pandemiezeiten, Deutschsprachiger Japanologentag, Online, 24-26 August 2022, (co-presenter Ruth Achenbach, Goethe University, Frankfurt). English title: ‘Migration research and COVID-19: approach to overcome new and old borders in times of pandemic’, German-Speaking Japanese Studies.

– Research interrupted: Conducting ethnographic migration research during a pandemic, JAWS (Japan Anthropology Workshop), Barcelona, 6-9 July 2022. (co-presenter Ruth Achenbach, Goethe University, Frankfurt)

– Being ‘skilled’ Indian women in Japan: Dream Vs Reality, IMISCOE (International Migration Research Network), Oslo, 28 June – 1 July 2022.

– Roundtable on innovative approaches in transnational migration studies: Discussing mixed-method and multi-sited research designs, AAS (Association of Asian Studies), Honolulu, 24-27 March 2022.

(2021)

– Challenges during COVID-19 pandemic: Indian Restaurants and Indian cooks in Japan, JASAS 34th (The Japanese Association of South Asian Studies), 9-10 October 2021.

– Book Presentation – ‘Indian Migrants in Tokyo, ICAS 12 (Kyoto – online conference), 24-28 August 2021.

– Sustainable Migration? Narratives of Indian Professional Migrants in Japan, ICAS 12 (Kyoto – online conference), 24-28 August 2021. (Individual paper in a Panel presentation)

– A love story beset with Challenges – Indian Migrants in Japan, Book Discussion, Institute of Asian, African and Middle Eastern Studies, Sophia University, January 9.

(2020)

– Amidst COVID-19 – Struggles of Indian cooks and Indian Restaurant owners in Tokyo, A talk at ICU PRI, Peace and COVID-19 Series, International Christian University, December 11.

– Book Discussion – ‘Indian Migrants in Tokyo’, Institute of Comparative Culture, Sophia University, November 28.,

– Good, Bad or Worst? Reproductive Health Challenges for Indian Migrant Women in Japan, Sophia Open Research Week, November 7.

– Special Lecture Series: Vulnerable Populations in Japan under Covid-19, Discussion on ‘In the age of COVID-19 – Indian restaurants and the Indian cooks in Japan’, October 28.

(2019)

– A part, yet apart: The story of Indian migrant cooks in Japan, ICAS 11, Leiden, Netherlands, July 15-19.

(2017)

– Tales of Business Entrepreneurs and Professionals: Exploring the Working Experiences of Indian Immigrants in Japan, The Global Conference on Indian Diaspora, The Hague, October 5-7.

(2015)

– Challenges of Making Home Away From Home: Life of Indian Migrants in Tokyo, Workshops of Graduate School of Global Studies, Sophia University, Tokyo, Japan, December 19.

– Lives, Fears, Relations and Expectations – A Study of Indian Resident Community in Tokyo, Japan, International Academic Conference on Social Science, Hong Kong, December 16-18.

– Being Indian, Becoming Japanese: Reflecting on the Shifting Identities and Challenges Faced by the Indian Migrants in Tokyo, Japan, Indian Food Kaken ‘Food and Identity’, (近現代インドにおける食文化とアイデンティティに関する複合的研究), November 15.

– Redefining Indian Traditions & Creating New Spaces – Migrant Women of Indian Origin in Tokyo, Japan, The 28th Annual Conference of Japanese Association for South Asian Studies (JASAS), Tokyo, Japan, September 26-27.

– Opportunities and Challenges in a Foreign Land: A Study of the Indian Resident Community in Tokyo, The International Convention of Asian Scholars, ICAS9, Adelaide, Australia, July 5-9.

– Redefining Traditions and Creating New Spaces –Migrant Women of Indian Origin in Tokyo, Japan, 5th Asia and Pacific Studies Congress, Paris, France, September 9-11.

(2014)

– The Indian Community in Japan: A focus on the Lives, Fears, Problems, Relations, and Expectations of Indians in Tokyo, The 27th Annual Conference of Japanese Association for South Asian Studies (JASAS), Tokyo, Japan, September 27-28.

 

Discussant/Commentator

(2019)

TINDAS International Workshop: Religion, Nation, and State in Modern India, Tokyo, Japan,March 27.

 

(2018)

Commodities in Motion: Objects in (Trans)local Connections in Asia. Association of Asian Studies (AAS in Asia), New Delhi, India, July 5-7. (Chair and Commentator for the Panel).

 

Workshops Organized

Annual VSJF Conference 2023, ‘Labour and (Im)mobility in Japan and East and Southeast Asia: Transnational, Regional and Rural-Urban Perspectives’, 3-5 November 2023, Japanese-German Center Berlin (JDZB) – The conference was organized as a part of project ‘Qualification and Skill in the Migration Process of Foreign Workers in Asia’ in cooperation with JDZB and VSJF.

 

Graduate Student Summer School ‘Innovative Research Designs and Methods in Asian Migration Research’ 18-19 July 2022, Goethe University Frankfurt. The event was the part of the current project ‘Qualification and Skill in the Migration Process of Foreign Workers in Asia’ and was organized together with the project team. The workshop was led by all the project members collectively.

 

‘Filming Fieldwork: Megha Wadhwa in conversation with Andy Lawrence’ followed by Film screening’ – a two-day filming workshop was organized at Free University of Berlin, 24-25 June 2022, as a part of the research project ‘Qualification and skill in the Migration Process of Foreign Workers in Asia, supported by Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). The purpose was to discuss the whys and hows of the filming process and the challenges on this path. It followed by film screening of a documentary ‘Finding their niche: Unheard stories of migrant women’. On 25 June 2022, one day workshop was conducted to further train the research team for fieldwork filming by Dr. Lawrence and Dr. Wadhwa. The workshop was organized and led by Dr. Wadhwa.

 

‘Filming Workshop for fieldwork training’ was conducted at Free University of Berlin, 12-14 July 2021 to train the members of research project “Skill” in the Migration Process of Foreign Workers in Asia, supported by Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). The purpose of the workshop was to introduce the team with the basic skills of filming their fieldworks and introduce them to methods of visual ethnography. The videos made by the team members would later be made into a documentary to present the research results to the larger audience. The workshop and training were led by Dr. Wadhwa.

 

‘Migrant Stories of Indian Cooks and Afghani Women in Japan’ Workshop at Sophia University. Presentation paper title, ‘Labor laws vs the reality: Reflecting on the narratives of Indian cooks and Indian restaurant owners in Japan’ and Documentary Screening of ‘Daughters from Afghanistan’ by Megha Wadhwa in collaboration with Masako Tanaka and David H. Slater, 15 November 2019.

 

‘Uprooting, Redefining, Resettling: A Graduate Student Workshop on Women Migrant Lives in Japan’, Presentation paper title, ‘Striking a Balance in Negotiating Identities – Indian Migrant Women Creating New Spaces in Tokyo, Japan’, Workshops of Graduate School of Global Studies, Sophia University, 16 January 2016. Workshops of Graduate School of Global Studies, Sophia University, 16 January 2016.

 

 

Seminars for Graduate and Undergraduate Students

‘Rituals and social relationships – Indian migrants in Tokyo’, Seminar on multiculturality in Japan, Hokkaido University, December 6, 2023 (Online, Undergraduate School)

 

‘Religion amongst the Indian migrants in Tokyo’, Graduate school seminar, Sophia University, November 17, 2023. (Online, Graduate School)

 

‘Visual Methods in Migration Studies – Finding their niche: Unheard stories of migrant women’, Lecture Series on Migration, Nanzan University, July 14, 2023. (in-person, Graduate School)

 

‘Discussing life of Indian Women Migrants in Japan through a documentary’, Visual Anthropology of Modern Japan, and Diversity in Japan class at Temple University Japan, July 3, 2023. (in-person, Undergraduate School)

 

‘Migration discussion through the documentary Finding their niche: Unheard stories of migrant women’, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, International Christian University, May 8, 2023. (in-person, Graduate School)

 

‘Discussing the life of Indian Migrants in Japan’, Seminar on Migration Studies, New York University, October 18, 2022. (Online, Graduate School)

 

‘Through their narratives: Exploring the experiences of Indian professional migrants in Japan’, Special Lectures Series on Migration, Nanzan University, July 8, 2022. (Online, Graduate School)

 

‘On the field: Preparation, dos and don’ts in the research field’, Nanzan University, June 27, 2022. (Online, Graduate School)

 

‘New Trends in Teaching and Learning Languages in the Post-Modern Context’, Keynote Speaker at Bos Lit 22, 5th International Conference on Language, Literature: Newer Perspective, PG Department of English, Don Bosco College, Yelagiri Hills, India, May 12, 2022. (Online, Undergraduate School)

 

‘Fieldwork Experiences – Ethnographic Research on Indian Migrants in Tokyo’, Ph.D. Seminar in Ethnographic Writing, Department of Social Anthropology, Tokyo Metropolitan University, May 14, 2021. (Online, Graduate School)

 

‘Indian migrants in Tokyo’, Ryukoku University (龍谷大学国際学部), October 27, 2020. (Online, Undergraduate School)

 

『インドと日本の間の異文化体験』, Nanzan University, October 16, 2020. (Online, Undergraduate School)

 

‘Indian Community in Japan’, Department of Global Communications, Toyo University, 2017. (in-person, Undergraduate School)

 

‘Identifying India: Social Stratification, Education, Religion, Women’, Area Studies and Asian Studies department, Faculty of Global Studies, Sophia University, 2016. (in-person, Undergraduate School)

 

‘National Cuisine of India?’, Area Studies and Asian Studies department, Faculty of Global Studies, Sophia University, 2017. (in-person, Undergraduate School)

 

‘Indian Community in Japan’, Department of Global Citizenship Studies, Seisen University, 2017. (in-person, Undergraduate School)

 

‘Women in India – Life and Traditions’, Area Studies and Asian Studies department, Faculty of Global Studies, Sophia University, 2015. (in-person, Undergraduate School)

 

Guest Lectures

‘Migrant Dreams: Indians in Japanese Labor Market’, Institute of Asian and Oriental Studies, University of Zurich, June 1, 2023. (Online)

 

‘Making home away from home: Indian community in Tokyo’, South Asian Studies Lecture Series, Faculty of International Studies, Toyo University, May 11, 2022. (Online)

‘A Book Talk: Narratives of Indian Migrants in Tokyo’, Department of East Asian Studies, University of Delhi, January 24, 2022. (Online)

 

‘Stories of Indian Professional Migrants in Japan’, Asian Centre, University of Philippines, November 19, 2021. (Online)

 

‘Indian Migrants in Tokyo’ – Indo-Japan Research Centre, Indian Institute of Management, Nagpur, October 27, 2021. (Online)

 

‘Life Stories of Indian Migrants in Tokyo: Fairy Tales and Nightmares’, Nissan Institute of Japanese Studies, Oxford School of Global and Area Studies, May 7, 2021. (Online)

 

‘Indian Cooks in Japan at the mercy of their bosses and the state?’ – Impacts of COVID-19, GEAS Digital Lecture Series: East Asian Responses to Crisis, Free University of Berlin, April 29, 2021. (Online)

 

‘Finding their Niche in Japan– Inspiring Stories of Indian Migrant Women’, 2019年度　第回FINDAS若手研究者セミナー「南アジアの宗教コミュニティと生活世界―ジェンダーの観点から」October 26, 2019.

 

 

Courses taught at Universities

Current Courses 

  • Migration and Intercultural Communications Through Visuals: Exploring East Asian Studies and Beyond (Free University of Berlin) – This course focuses on the migration trends in east Asia and efforts made by the host and migrant communities in bridging the cultural gap. It investigates the importance of understanding cultural nuances in communication.
  • Visual Anthropology of Modern Japan (Temple University Japan) – This course provides an in-depth exploration of visual anthropology with a focus on modern Japan. Through a combination of lectures, discussions, and practical projects, students will learn how visual media shapes and reflects cultural and social realities.
  • Asian Women in Transition (Temple University Japan) – This course offers an in-depth exploration of the multifaceted experiences and transitions of Asian women within diverse cultural, social, and historical contexts.
  • Journalism and Society (Temple University Japan) – This course focuses on the role of journalism in society, the impact of media on public opinion, and the ethical responsibilities of journalists.
  • Intercultural Communication (Temple University Japan) – This course focuses on the effective communication strategies in diverse cultural settings, emphasizing the importance of understanding cultural nuances in communication.

Past Courses

  • Presentations and Discussions: Special English Skills for public presentations and discussions (Kyoritsu Women University) – This course focused on improving students’ English language skills for effective public speaking and facilitating discussions, particularly in a professional context.
  • Topics in Japanese Societies: Social issues, behaviors, and culture (Kyoritsu Women University) – This course explored various aspects of Japanese society, including social issues, cultural behaviors, gender, historical and contemporary cultural norms.
  • Tourism in Japan: History and contemporary with a focus on issues related to over-tourism (Kyoritsu Women University) – This course provided students with insights into the historical and contemporary aspects of tourism in Japan, with an emphasis on the challenges and issues related to over-tourism.
  • Cross-Cultural Communication (Kyoritsu Women University) – This course aimed to enhance students’ understanding of communication dynamics in diverse cultural settings, focusing on effective strategies for bridging cultural gaps and fostering meaningful interactions.
  • Communication in a Global Environment (Kyoritsu Women University) – This course provided students with a comprehensive understanding of communication practices and challenges in a globalized world, emphasizing the importance of adapting communication strategies in different cultural and linguistic contexts.

 

Documentaries 

Finding their Niche – Unheard stories of migrant women, 2022. Filmed, directed, and edited.

Indian cooks in Japan – A 7-minute documentary, 2020. Filmed, directed, and edited.

Daughters from Afghanistan, 2019. Filmed, directed, and edited.

 Film Screenings of Finding their niche: Unheard stories of migrant women – 

  • India-Japan Friendship event, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, India, February 28, 2024.
  • Janki Devi Memorial College, University of Delhi, India, February 27, 2024.
  • Ashoka University, New Delhi, India, February 26, 2024.
  • University of Zurich, Switzerland, December 6, 2023.
  • Doshisha University, Kyoto, Japan, December 11, 2023.
  • Japan- German Center Berlin, Germany, September 4, 2023.
  • European Association for Japanese Studies, Ghent, Belgium, August 17-21, 2023.
  • Institute of Asian, African, and Middle Eastern Studies, Sophia University, Tokyo, Japan, July 29, 2023.
  • Graduate School of Global Studies, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, Japan, July 16, 2023.
  • Center for Indian Ocean World Studies,Graduate School of Asian and African Area Studies, Kyoto University, Japan, July 9, 2023.
  • Research Institute of Economic and Business Administration, Kobe University, Japan, July 8, 2023.
  • The Asian Studies Conference Japan, Sophia University, Japan, July 1-2, 2023.
  • School of Media and Communications, RMIT University Melbourne, Australia, June 26, 2023.
  • WIAPS Colloquium Series, Institute of Asian Migrations, Waseda University, Japan, May 31, 2023.
  • Department of East Asian Studies, Stephen’s College, University of Delhi, India, January 16, 2023.
  • Jaipur International Film Festival, India, January 9, 2023.
  • Institute of Comparative Culture, Sophia University, Japan, November 12, 2022.
  • Japanese Studies Department, Free University of Berlin, Germany, June 24, 2022.