Care Work Migration to Japan: Comparative Lessons and Domestic Realities

Session Submission Type: Organized Panel Proposal Application

Abstract

In Asia, people are moving across borders and national demographics are shifting. As in North America and Europe, the ageing of societies is posing challenges for systems of care, with implications for care work migration. This panel uses international comparisons and analysis of domestic conditions to explore the policy options for care work migration to Japan. In Asia, people are moving across borders and national demographics are shifting. As in North America and Europe, the ageing of societies is posing challenges for systems of care, with implications for care work migration. This panel uses international comparisons and analysis of domestic conditions to explore the policy options for care work migration to Japan. The panel brings together experts from diverse fields that span the divide between academics and practitioners. Ogawa frames the panel by examining the configuration of migration regimes and care regimes in East Asia, with attention to both the entitlement of the migrants and the quality of care. Lopez compares policies in Germany and Japan for sourcing caregivers and nurses to consider their short- and long-term effectiveness for meeting seniors' care needs. Lee discusses the training and employment of foreign care workers in Korea and in so doing provides a concrete comparative referent for
thinking about Japan. Milly analyzes recent policy proposals and debates in Japan in terms of how these juggle priorities of ensuring skilled care while ensuring a supply of care workers. Relevant to that debate, Okamoto questions the importance of the credential of "certified care worker" in Japan. Satake, the discussant, is an expert on Philippine migration to Japan. We hope the resulting discussion will address core conceptual issues in care work migration while also being a forum to consider the implications of current policies and policy debates in Japan.

Area of Study

• Northeast Asia

Session Organizer

• Deborah Milly, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Chair

• Deborah Milly, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Individual Presentations

• The Making of Migrant Care Workers in East Asia - Reiko Ogawa, Kyushu University

• Responding to the Challenges of Super-ageing Societies: A Comparison of Japan and Germany’s Strategies to Procure Healthcare Personnel from Overseas - Mario Lopez, Kyoto University

• Foreign Care Workers for the Elderly in Korea - Sung-Hee Lee, Alzheimer's Association of Korea

• Recent Policy Debates over Care-Work Migration to Japan - Deborah Milly, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

• How Much Does Certification as a Care Worker Matter in Japan? - Takiko Okamoto, Meiji Gakuin University

Discussant

• Masaaki Satake, Nagoya Gakuin University