{"title":"Filipino technical interns and specified skilled workers in Japan during the COVID-19 pandemic: A typology of (im)mobility patterns","authors":"Romeo Jumao-as Toring","doi":"10.1177/01171968251348036","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/01171968251348036","url":null,"abstract":"This study investigates the varied circumstances of Filipino temporary labor migrants in Japan under the Technical Intern Training Program (TITP) and the Specified Skilled Worker (SSW) visa during the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on ethnographic fieldwork among Filipino communities in Japan since April 2022, this article analyzes developments during the state of emergency, such as travel bans and the abrupt implementation of the SSW visa. Utilizing the approach of the “mobility paradigm” pioneered by Sheller and Urry (2006), this study proposes a framework to analyze the interplay of (im)mobility patterns with respect to positionality, temporality and perceptionality. By exploring how travel bans affected the socioeconomic and geophysical standing of labor migrants vis-à-vis the timing of their entry to Japan and how they viewed their lives during the pandemic, this article introduces five (im)mobility patterns: Oblivious, upward, suspended, revamped and rebooted. This typology of (im)mobility patterns enhances understanding of the experiences of Filipino temporary labor migrants in Japan and the effects of sudden (im)mobility disruptions.","PeriodicalId":46248,"journal":{"name":"Asian and Pacific Migration Journal","volume":"34 2","pages":"336-357"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147914511","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Re-mobilizing immobilized labor: Pandemic concessions and migrant farmworkers in Japan","authors":"Yuya Iida, Itaru Nagasaka","doi":"10.1177/01171968251348033","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/01171968251348033","url":null,"abstract":"Drawing on fieldwork in a central Japan village in 2021 and 2022, this study examines how the Japanese government’s stringent border controls from 2020 disrupted the rotational international migration system in the agricultural sector and how the government, farmers and migrant agricultural workers responded to such disruption. Introducing the concept of “pandemic concessions” as exceptional bordering practices, it examines the government’s concessionary measures to the sector. While they helped farmers secure a workforce, they seldom mitigated the immobilities of migrant agricultural workers that had been prevalent before the pandemic, and the migrants’ contribution as essential workers for food production remains invisible.","PeriodicalId":46248,"journal":{"name":"Asian and Pacific Migration Journal","volume":"34 2","pages":"315-335"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147882497","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Nuancing COVID-19 pandemic experiences of vulnerable people: The case of (ir)regular Filipino migrants in Paris","authors":"Asuncion Fresnoza‐Flot, Kristine Busson","doi":"10.1177/01171968251348975","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/01171968251348975","url":null,"abstract":"This article examines the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on regular and irregular Filipino migrants working in the service sector in Paris. Drawing from the authors’ analysis of the literature on migrants in the context of the pandemic, the French state’s sanitary and social measures, and a set of 28 semi-structured interviews with Filipino migrants, it shows that these migrants’ experiences converge and diverge at some points. Irregular Filipino migrants experienced the pandemic’s economic and emotional blows stronger than their regular migrant counterparts due to their unstable work situation and migration status intersecting with other factors at the micro, meso and macro levels of their lives. Interestingly, regular and irregular migrants shared some positive experiences of the pandemic, nuancing the conventional understanding of the COVID-19 pandemic experiences of vulnerable populations as mainly negative.","PeriodicalId":46248,"journal":{"name":"Asian and Pacific Migration Journal","volume":"34 2","pages":"224-243"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147382077","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Magnified precarity, re-enhanced agency: The COVID-19 pandemic experiences of Filipino migrant workers in different contexts","authors":"Itaru Nagasaka, Asuncion Fresnoza‐Flot","doi":"10.1177/01171968251342450","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/01171968251342450","url":null,"abstract":"The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic had a profound impact on the challenging lives and employment of migrant workers. While the pandemic exposed and exacerbated the existing disadvantages and marginalization of migrant workers, it also foregrounded the contributions of migrant workers to the society’s sustenance and people’s well-being. Building on Hochschild’s concept of the “magnified moment”, this special issue introduces the notion of “magnified precarity” to highlight how the pandemic exacerbated the precariousness of migrant workers and how these workers re-enhanced agency during the pandemic. Using a unique transnational comparative method, which focuses on Filipino workers living in countries with different migration regimes in East Asia, Western Europe and North America, it intends to explore how migrant workers’ agency and distinct migration trajectories intertwined with the spread of the disease and the states’ public health measures, leading to divergent and convergent consequences of the pandemic on their lives.","PeriodicalId":46248,"journal":{"name":"Asian and Pacific Migration Journal","volume":"34 2","pages":"213-223"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147882808","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Chinese seafarers’ use of the Internet and social media to promote labor rights","authors":"Lijun Tang","doi":"10.1177/01171968231210327","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/01171968231210327","url":null,"abstract":"Research on seafarers and the Internet so far has focused primarily on Internet access onboard ships. It frames Internet access as a welfare issue concerning seafarers’ communication with their families. This paper expands the focus to examine how seafarers use the Internet and social media to build and extend their social networks for reciprocal support and solidarity. Taking a case study approach, this paper examines two cases of Chinese seafarers protecting their rights online. The data were collected from relevant Internet and social media sites in 2022. The two cases demonstrate that the Internet and social media provide social spaces for Chinese seafarers to expand their social networks and form online professional communities, which afford them new resources to defend their rights and protect their interests. In the context that the Chinese seafarers’ union does not function to represent and help seafarers in labor and employment matters, these resources are particularly salient.","PeriodicalId":46248,"journal":{"name":"Asian and Pacific Migration Journal","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2023-11-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139245414","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Mee Young Um, Elizabeth Hatch, Arati Maleku, Marisol Arroyo Portillo
{"title":"Can technology break the invisible wall? Exploring mobile application needs and preferences among North Korean refugees in South Korea","authors":"Mee Young Um, Elizabeth Hatch, Arati Maleku, Marisol Arroyo Portillo","doi":"10.1177/01171968231211348","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/01171968231211348","url":null,"abstract":"Although the ubiquity of digital technology among refugees inevitably changes resettlement experiences, studies exploring the utility and usability of mobile applications (apps) centered on refugees’ needs and priorities are largely fragmented. Using focus groups with North Korean refugees in South Korea ( N = 40), we explored the utility and usability of mobile apps, examined differences in app preferences among demographic subgroups and proposed recommendations for tailored app features. Six themes emerged under two domains: (a) content needs and priorities, and (b) feature preferences. Study findings highlight refugees as both consumers and producers of knowledge with implications for scaling up digital interventions for refugee resettlement.","PeriodicalId":46248,"journal":{"name":"Asian and Pacific Migration Journal","volume":"54 5","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-11-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"136348891","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Intra-urban migration and perceptions of neighborhood cohesion in urban China: The case of Guangzhou","authors":"Sanqin Mao, Tingting Lu, Tianlan Fu","doi":"10.1177/01171968231206885","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/01171968231206885","url":null,"abstract":"Although the consequences of intra-urban migration have received wide attention, few studies have elucidated whether and how processes of intra-urban migration are associated with perceptions of neighborhood cohesion. This paper tries to extend the literature on neighborhood cohesion by explicitly incorporating the experience of past intra-urban residential moves into multilevel analysis based on a large-scale survey undertaken in Guangzhou. The results reveal that features of intra-urban migration (e.g., tenure shift, change in housing type and frequencies of intra-urban residential movement) have discernible effects on four different dimensions of neighborhood cohesion: Social solidarity, neighborly acquaintance, social trust and informal social control. The findings not only contribute to a more refined understanding of intra-urban migration influences, but also suggest considering a more exhaustive measure of residential history in future explanations of neighborhood cohesion.","PeriodicalId":46248,"journal":{"name":"Asian and Pacific Migration Journal","volume":"27 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"136069452","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"COVID-19 and the precarity of Indonesian workers in the oil palm production in Sabah, East Malaysia","authors":"Andika Wahab","doi":"10.1177/01171968231206382","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/01171968231206382","url":null,"abstract":"The COVID-19 pandemic has not only exposed but exacerbated migrant workers’ precariousness. While governmental lockdown measures were meant to curb the pandemic, some small- and medium-sized oil palm employers in Sabah, East Malaysia, took advantage of such measures by normalizing and justifying mobility restrictions and enhanced surveillance, prolonging irregularity and suppressing workers’ voice. As a result, migrant workers were rendered dependent on discretionary actions by employers who were often inclined to moralistic judgment by viewing migrants as less deserving of their rights and welfare. The restrictive labor regime points out that the government is partly responsible for exacerbating workers’ precariousness by using businesses or employers as a mechanism of control and by limiting migrant workers’ rights.","PeriodicalId":46248,"journal":{"name":"Asian and Pacific Migration Journal","volume":"24 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135968415","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Regulating recruitment and contracting of migrant fishers from Indonesia","authors":"Wayne Palmer, Michele Ford, Benni Hasbiyalloh","doi":"10.1177/01171968231210760","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/01171968231210760","url":null,"abstract":"Historically, the processes in place to govern the recruitment and contracting of Indonesian migrant fishers have fostered situations of labor abuse and exploitation. The Indonesian government has introduced a new regulatory framework designed to meet international expectations that it creates rules and systems for recruiting migrant fishers in its territory. This article analyzes the state of play immediately before this new regulatory framework was operationalized, generating insights into practices around recruitment and contracting, and providing a baseline for future analysis of the new framework’s impact.","PeriodicalId":46248,"journal":{"name":"Asian and Pacific Migration Journal","volume":"19 1","pages":"452 - 474"},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2023-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139343934","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Integration of international marriage migrants: Russian-speaking female marriage migrants in Japan and South Korea","authors":"Viktoriya Kim, N. Yem","doi":"10.1177/01171968231208031","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/01171968231208031","url":null,"abstract":"This paper analyzes the integration processes of international marriage migrants in Japan and South Korea and identifies the steps and conditions required for integration. It contributes to the wider discussion of obstacles that migrants face during the integration process. Despite Japan and South Korea’s reluctance toward the influx of large numbers of international migrants, their stance is more positive toward (female) marriage migrants. The qualitative data used for the analysis were collected by authors during the period between 2007 and 2022 on women from former Soviet Union countries, married to South Korean (54) or Japanese (50) men. The analysis of women’s experiences identifies four major steps leading to receiving society integration: Pre-migration, arrival, early years and long-term settlement. The findings show that early language acquisition and receiving family support resulted in relatively smooth integration. However, human capital appears to be both a driver and an obstacle to integration. Furthermore, mismatched gender role expectations, limited social networks and employment opportunities increased difficulties in the integration process. Additionally, stronger ties with the receiving family and weaker ties with the home countries influenced women’s decision to settle in the country. The largest differences between Japan and South Korea were the higher employment opportunities for marriage migrants in South Korea, especially for those with professional skills and Korean language knowledge.","PeriodicalId":46248,"journal":{"name":"Asian and Pacific Migration Journal","volume":"2013 1","pages":"426 - 451"},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2023-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139343967","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}