Unpad, UI, and Binus Collaborative Research Highlights Cultural Adaptation and Labor Competition in Japan

The Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Universitas Padjadjaran, proudly announces the publication of a collaborative research article titled “The Transformation of Kizukai Habitus on Asian Trainee in Japan: Striving and Competition of the Labor Market in ASEAN” in the Journal of ASEAN Studies. The article is authored by Roberto Masami Prabowo (Bina Nusantara University), Dade Mahzuni (Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Universitas Padjadjaran), Yuyu Yohana Risagarniwa (Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Universitas Padjadjaran), and Muhammad Reza Rustam (Universitas Indonesia).

This study investigates Japan’s trainee program, which was launched in the 1990s during the country’s “Lost Decade” to address labor shortages and strengthen economic and political relations with developing Asian nations. Focusing on trainees who worked in Japan between 2000 and 2010, the research examines how these individuals adapted to Japanese society through the cultural concept of kizukai, a practice of empathy and consideration for others, and how this adaptation contributed to their entrepreneurial success upon returning to their home countries.

Using an ethnographic approach supported by direct interviews and a comprehensive literature review, the study integrates Bourdieu’s theories of habitus, field, and capital to analyze how the trainees’ behaviors, values, and business practices transformed after their experiences in Japan. The findings reveal that many trainees successfully internalized the kizukai habitus, which significantly shaped their business strategies and helped them establish prosperous enterprises in their home countries. Furthermore, the study highlights how Japan’s trainee program, despite its shortcomings, has played a role in strengthening ASEAN, Japan economic relations and offers valuable insights for enhancing future international training programs.

This collaborative research contributes significantly to the study of cross-cultural adaptation, labor migration, and entrepreneurial transformation in the ASEAN context, while also fostering deeper academic collaboration between Universitas Padjadjaran, Universitas Indonesia, and Bina Nusantara University.

Ferli Hasanah