United Press International 02/08/2004 11 AM
TOKYO, Feb. 8 (UPI) -- Five percent of all marriages in Japan are between Japanese and foreign nationals -- more than double the 1980s rate.
A report by the Paris-based Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development said the number of international marriages -- of whom 90 percent are from other Asian countries -- totaled 39,700 during 2001. The report said the percentage of such marriages rose from 2.4 percent in 1988 to 5 percent during 2001. The Japan Times said the OECD report for 2003, entitled "Trends in International Migration," said the increase in Japanese-foreigner marriages is because the number of foreigners living legally in Japan reached a record-high of 1.78 million during 2001, or 1.4 percent of the total population. Deputy OECD Secretary-General Berglind Asgeirsdottir said Japan should consider accepting more foreign workers and immigrants to deal with a forecast labor shortage.
