JAPANESE SOCIO-CULTURAL INFLUENCE ON MIGRANT ENTREPRENEURSHIP: EXPLORING THE ENTREPRENEURIAL ACTIVITIES OF FORMER FILIPINA ENTERTAINERS IN THE PHILIPPINES

Abstract

Over the years, Japan has opened different channels for labor migrants to address its chronic labor shortage. The Philippines has been one of the major sending countries of female temporary migrant workers to Japan since the 1970s, most of whom worked in the entertainment industry. Thousands of these Filipinas eventually returned to the Philippines to set up a business using their accumulated social and financial capital, as well as lived experiences in Japan. However, to date, it remains unknown how their migrant lives in Japan influenced their entrepreneurial activities in the Philippines. This study investigated the impact of 20 former Filipina entertainers' experiences in Japan on their entrepreneurship upon return to their home country. It built on Kushminder’s model (2017) to examine how their reintegration strategies shaped their entrepreneurial engagements. Depending on their level of preparedness, social networks, knowledge and skills, cultural maintenance, and structural conditions in Japan, the study revealed that Filipina entrepreneurs could be categorized as reintegrated, enclavists, traditionalists, and vulnerable. It also found that their Japan-bound migration drove them to take the entrepreneurial route to either maintain the social status earned in Japan or support their household upon return to the Philippines. Not all Filipinas venturing into business capitalized on their sociocultural experiences in Japan; others are oriented toward Filipino consumer needs and rely on some aspects of the Filipino culture in doing business.