Care and Migration Policies in Japan and South Korea

Against the global trend towards increased use of foreign care workers, Japan and South Korea stand out as two countries that continue to resist their intake. In this paper, I explain why despite serious shortages of care workers, these two countries have maintained highly restricted immigration policies towards migrant care workers. I argue that their resistance can be explained by a combination of social, cultural, and institutional factors that are shaping their care, migration and employment regimes.