Shows how Japans immigration policy is shaped by the nature of Japans economy and elite debates about the countrys national identity.In Help Not Wanted Michael Strausz offers an original and provocative answer to a question that has long perplexed observers of Japan Why has Japans immigration policy remained so restrictive especially in light of economic demographic and international political forces that are pushing Japan to admit more immigrants Drawing upon insights developed during nearly two years of intensive field research in Japan Strausz ultimately argues that Japans immigration policy has remained restrictive for two reasons. First Japans laborintensive businesses have failed to defeat antiimmigration forces within the Japanese state particularly those in the Ministry of Justice and the Japanese Diet. Second no influential strain of elite thought in postwar Japan exists to support the idea that significant numbers of foreign nationals have a legitimate claim to residency and citizenship.