This presentation discusses the contemporary history of Japan’s evolution into a significant hub for migrants from within as well as outside Asia in the latter half of the twentieth century. It analyzes major transformations in Japan’s migration policy and practices during the post-war period and how Japan’s ethnonationalist national identity, its rise as a strong economy and pop cultural producer, and the concurrent unfolding of a demographic crise shaped the distinct and often contradictory characteristics of Japan as a contemporary migration destination in the late 20th century. It argues that while resisting the concept of immigration, Japan has also been attractive as a hub for educational, economic and cultural migrants from across the world.