Globalization of Care and the Context of Reception of Southeast Asian Care Workers in Japan

Abstract

The signing of the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) between Japan and the Philippines (2006) and Japan and Indonesia (2007) introduced a new field of inquiry which was never experienced in Japan, migration and care. This paper examines the nexus of two issues to position the migration of long-term care workers from Southeast Asia to Japan under the EPA within the context of globalization of care work by examining the three areas: 1. The institutional framework; 2. Acceptance of foreign care workers at care facilities; and 3. Dilemmas resulting from this migration project. The paper first explores the nature of the migration project under EPA and the socio-economic forces that shape the project. Second, it examines the opinions of the care facilities that employed the first batch of Indonesian care workers through quantitative and qualitative research. Finally, it discusses the dilemma that the state-sponsored migration project under EPA introduces. While the migrant care workers are well integrated and have contributed positively to the quality of care, the current scheme does not appear to mitigate the labor shortage and it may not be sustainable in the long run.