2012年12月04日（火）名古屋市で、『ＪＩＣＡ草の根技術協力事業「サンパウロ州におけるデカセギ帰国者及びその子弟支援のための心理専門職等による支援体制の構築」平成２４年度最終報告会 』が開催されました。

A symposium was held in Nagoya on Tuesday, December 4, 2012 on the topic of the support system for Brazilian families living in Japan, as observed by experts in the field of psychology.

During 2012, this project arrranged for clinical psychologists to come to Japan and assess the current state of the Brazilian populations Mie, Aichi and Shiga. While they were in Japan, these clinical psychologists talked to individuals in the Brazilian community, visited schools, and by doing so, were able to determine a great deal about the everyday lives of Brazilians living in Japan.

The visiting psychologists collected a wide array of data for analysis, and presented their findings during the symposium. The following is a selection of their findings.

• Children that return to Brazil after living in Japan find it very difficult to adapt to their new schools. Due to linguistic and cultural differences, it is often difficult for these children to feel a sense of closeness to their new surroundings.
• Schools hold various events in order to familiarize returnee parents with the schools that their children are attending. By attending these events, parents can deepen their connection with schools and be more actively involved in their children’s lives.
• There are NPOs and other orgnanizations devoted to supporting Brazilians returning to Brazil after a long period of residence in Japan. However, the visiting psychologists found that there are very few Brazilian returnees who actually use these services.
• Many Brazilian returnees who can communicate in both Portuguese and Japanese are employed in companies that do business on a global scale. Brazilians living in Japan who acquire Japanese proficiency may see their employment options increase.
• “Project Kaeru” (“kaeru” means “return” in Japanese) is an example of an initiative that aims to provide support to individuals returning to Sao Paolo after residing in Japan.
• Parental support is critical to child development. However, there are many households in Japan’s Brazilian resident communities that demonstrate strained parent-child relations. Children that do not receive adequate affection in the home often struggle in their studies.

The visiting psychologists took questions unrelated to education after presenting their findings. Many of these questions were from Japanese nationals who work at organizations that deal with issues concerning non-Japanese residents of Japan.

The presenting psychologists also expressed their gratitude for the opportunity to conduct research across several regions of Japan over the course of several months.