Upper Secondary Educational Attainment of Japan-Born Immigrants: Mixed-Parentage as a Marker of Social Integration or Family Instability in Japan?

Abstract School achievement of immigrant-origin youths is affected by multiple factors, yet their performance relative to native peers remains debated in migration studies. Furthermore, considerable variation within the second-generation children possibly exists. This study investigates whether Japan-born children with migrant parents lag behind in high school educational attainment compared to their Japanese peers, advancing research on second-generation integration in new immigration countries. Using nationwide longitudinal data of the 2001-born cohort, we found that children from mixed Japanese-immigrant parentage attend lower-ranked high schools than both native and immigrant children, challenging straight-line assimilation theory. Our analysis reveals significant ethnic stratification: children with East Asian parents perform on par with native Japanese, while those with parents from other regions experience educational disadvantages. This pattern persists even when accounting for socioeconomic backgrounds, suggesting that the ability to ‘pass’ as Japanese may facilitate educational success within Japan’s homogeneous school system. Additionally, children with immigrant mothers and Japanese fathers face greater educational disadvantages than those with Japanese mothers, though socioeconomic factors largely explain this difference. These findings contribute to segmented assimilation literature by demonstrating how intermarriage processes and ethnic proximity shape integration outcomes in a society with limited institutional support for immigrants. The study underscores the importance of considering both parental origins and host society context in understanding the educational trajectories of second-generation children.