SDHF Newsletter No.446 Book Review Culture Transplant

The Culture Transplant: How Migrants Make the Economies They Move to A Lot Loke the Ones They Left
Author: Garett Jones
Stanford University Press, 2022
Reviewed by Aldric Hama

November 14, 2025

There need to be more serious examination of Japanese foreign immigration and its effects on Japanese Society. Media, establishment politicians and populists think about this issue on the premises that multiculturalism is undoubtedly good thing. This is dangerous thinking.

The author Jones addresses questions that are not given the full consideration that they deserve. He expects immigrants to hold onto their ancestral values and cultural practices for a very long time; there is no absolutely complete assimilation. In parallel, expect that immigrant values and culture to latch on to the natives, with gradual but inevitable change to native culture over time. Finally, over long-term greater ethnic and cultural diversity could lead to weakening community trust, unraveling of social cohesion and social conflict.

Jones dig into large sets of American (general Social Survey) and international (the Worls Value Survey) surveys that document national opinions, beliefs and values over time. They provide us with very useful data and analysis for studying immigration impacts.

It is the time for Japan to seriously examine foreign immigration policy. This book will suggest useful idea for that purpose.

URL: https://www.sdh-fact.com/book-article/2394
PDF: https://www.sdh-fact.com/CL/CultureE.pdf

MOTEKI Hiromichi, Chairman
Society for the Dissemination of Historical Fact