The New Wave of Chinese "Run" to Japan with Yale World Fellow Hiro Masutomo

About

Japan is undergoing a little-noticed demographic shift: a growing influx of Chinese entrepreneurs, intellectuals and education-focused families relocating for stability. Drawing on years of reporting from Tokyo, GPS alumnus and journalist Takehiro Masutomo examines the rise of this "Run Ri" movement and what it means for a country long defined by its relative homogeneity.

From surging property purchases and competition for elite schools to Chinese-language bookstores and exiled intellectuals, Tokyo is emerging as a new hub for the Chinese diaspora – leading some to call it the “next Hong Kong.” But this growing presence has also fueled unease and anti-foreigner rhetoric. Masutomo's reporting brought this overlooked population into public view and helped to ignite a national debate in Japan that has contributed to tighter visa policies. He explores the tension between economic necessity and cultural anxiety shaping Japan's immigration debate.

This event is part of the China Forum speaker series at the MacMillan Center for International and Area Studies at Yale. Light breakfast will be provided. Open to the Yale community only.

Speaker Bio

Takehiro Masutomo is a quadrilingual journalist and author specializing in East Asia, with a particular focus on the underlying implications of the new wave of Chinese immigrants to the rest of the world. Based in Tokyo, he draws on his on-the-ground reporting experience in more than 20 countries and a hybrid background spanning academia and media to interpret complex current affairs within the region.

He currently serves as an adjunct researcher at the Institute of Japan in the Global Economy, Waseda University as well as a regular commentator on China and Southeast Asia for My Asa! on NHK Radio. In Beijing, he has worked for Caixin, China's leading business and finance media as a staff writer on international news, covering business and politics in Japan and the Korean Peninsula in Chinese. He worked as a researcher at the National University of Singapore between 2014 and 2016.

His bestselling book Run Ri: Tracing the Flight of China's Wealthy to Japan, sparked nationwide policy debate on immigration and Japan's demographic strategy. The book was praised by the FT as a "revelatory work" and has been translated into Chinese in Taiwan. He continues to give public lectures at universities and think tanks both at home and abroad in Japanese, Chinese, and English. He has contributed to outlets including Nikkei Asia, South China Morning Post, Kompas, and Tempo (Indonesian), among many others.