The gap between administration and migrants: Terminologies and experiences of urban-rural migration in Japan

This paper analyzes the discourse on urban-rural migration within contemporary Japan's administrative landscape, its representation in academic literature, along with local governments' support measures for urban-rural migrants and their experiences. I seek to unveil the consequences of imprecise definitions and ambiguous classifications of urban-rural migration, which can foster misunderstandings of the phenomenon, influencing both individual self-representation and support schemes. Drawing on ethnographic data collected over two years both online and onsite in two municipalities in northern Kyūshū, this article shows how the UIJ-turn classification and the ijū/teijū (migration/settlement) distinction are employed in Japanese political- administrative discourse and how this affects migrants' experiences. I investigate how administration and migrants conceptualize urban-rural migration differently. The discussion reveals a disconnect between the administrative narrative, which heavily relies on rigid classification terminology, and migrants' actual experiences, emphasizing the implications for support schemes, migrants' self-perception, and their integration into rural communities. This underscores the necessity to acknowledge changes in the rural population for a more comprehensive understanding of the future of rural communities in the Global North. • Urban-rural migration is a phenomenon that has been defined with many terms. • In Japan, UIJ-turn terminology and migration/settlement dichotomy are the most used. • There is a gap between the administrative narrative and migrants' experiences. • The language in use oversimplifies the phenomenon and isolate the migrants. • This impacts support schemes, migrants' self-perception, and rural community integration.