Care and Migration Regimes in Japan, Taiwan, and Korea

Abstract

Compared with nursing, care work is differently constructed in each society, with diverse qualifications applied across East Asia. When migrants are introduced they are meant to fit within the ambiguously constructed care regime, with different entitlements in each case. Based on ethnographic research, this chapter examines the migration of care workers in Taiwan, Japan, and Korea by introducing the concept of migration and care regimes, comparing how these regimes intersect and interrelate with each other. The author argues that migrant care workers are situated in the nexus of these two regimes, which define the entitlements of migrants as well as the quality of care. The research results reveal a diverse configuration of migrant care workers, but one commonality is the issue of social citizenship that does not allow migrants to be decommodified while providing care to others. The study shows that the quality of care and the entitlements of migrants are correlated and that if developed countries want a stable and good quality workforce, they need to provide care for their migrants.