On the surface, Japan may look like an immigration-averse country.

Look no further than Prime Minister Shinzo Abe¡¯s repeated declarations in the Diet that he has no intention of accepting ¡°immigrants.¡±

But while this country is uneasy about the notion of immigration, it is simultaneously host to many non-Japanese people working hard to make lives for themselves in Japan, including housekeepers, caregivers, cooks and spouses of Japanese nationals.