Run Ri (潤日): China's New Emigrants to Japan and the Anti-Foreigner Backlash

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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.

Speaker: Takehiro Masutomo, Author and Independent Journalist; Yale World Fellow

Moderator: Margaret Roberts, Director, 21st Century China Center: Co-director, China Data Lab, UC San Diego School of Global Policy and Strategy; Professor, UC San Diego Department of Political Science ------------------ This public lecture is organized by the 21st Century China Center (21CCC) at the UC San Diego School of Global Policy and Strategy. For more information about this and other 21CCC events, please visit china.ucsd.edu.