Staff and Advisors Research Proposal Abstract "Nikkei," defined
as those who moved away from Japan and resided or reside outside
Japan and their descendants, used to be a fairly clear-cut
concept designating the prewar-to-postwar (up to about 1960)
immigrants to North and South America and their descendants. Now
Nikkei as a category has become a rather complex concept with
many divergent subcategories. Dr. Befu's research will examine
all the different processes of Nikkei experiences known in the
world. One of the new subcategories that he will research are
those Japanese who moved to the New World and Europe in the last
20-30 years and their descendants. These Japanese manifest
vastly different characteristics from the earlier immigrants. In
general, they are better educated, fill different occupational
niches, maintain closer ties with Japan, and many came with the
intention of permanent settlement. A second subcategory includes
unknown numbers of Nikkei who remained abroad either on their
own volition or w