Oumrati Mohamed, winner of the 2026 "Young Researcher" Award from the Fondation des Treilles
Oumrati Mohamed, a doctoral student in political science and international relations at the French Institute for Research on East Asia – IFRAE (Inalco – CNRS – Université Paris Cité), was awarded the 2026 "Young Researcher" prize by the Fondation des Treilles. This prize will allow him to complete his thesis entitled: "Become a country of immigration? Legislative openings and administrative resistances in Japan from 1990 to the present, under the direction of Isabelle Konuma (Inalco-Ifrae) and Hélène Le Bail (Sciences Po – CNRS – CERI)
Biography
Oumrati Mohamed is a PhD candidate in political science and international relations. Laureate of the doctoral contract of the Inalco between 2022 and 2025, she devotes her research to migration policy in Japan, particularly to its transformations through the analysis of discourse and public action, as well as demographic issues and the reception of foreign workers in a context of labor shortage. She conducted several fieldworks in Japan, before her thesis enrolment, notably at Hitotsubashi University as a MEXT fellow (2019, 2021), then at Waseda University thanks to a grant from the Japan Foundation (2023-2024). The recently obtained prize will contribute to the completion of his thesis.
Summary of thesis
Since the 1990s, Japan has been facing a demographic decline and a reduction in its workforce. To address the labour shortage, the authorities first prioritized the employment of women and seniors, while officially limiting immigration to skilled workers. The introduction in 2018 of the 'specific skills' statute, however, marks a turning point; it allows the recruitment of low-skilled workers, facilitates their settlement and family reunification, without the government recognising a genuine immigration policy. This research crosses analysis of public policies and discourse in order to study the evolution of Japanese migration policies through legislative choices, parliamentary debates, and advisory bodies.
La Fondation des Treilles awards around twenty "Young Researcher" prizes per year. These research grants are awarded to French or foreign researchers at the end of their thesis conducting their research in France.