Localization of Global Migration Governance: A Quantitative Analysis of Policy Absorption in Local Japan

This study develops the Local Policy Absorption Index as a quantitative framework for evaluating how global migration governance principles are localized within national and subnational policy systems.Using data from 47 prefectures in Japan, the extent to which local governments have institutionalized the core principles of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly, and Regular Migration is measured across inclusion, rights orientation, implementation capacity, and partnership.The results demonstrate a dual governance structure characterized by national institutionalization and local differentiation.The central government has established a unified framework for consultation, legal support, and labor protection, whereas local governments vary in their policy absorption.Economically developed metropolitan areas exhibit high absorptive capacity and active policy innovation, whereas smaller municipalities are characterized by passive adaptation and institutional dependence.This uneven diffusion highlights a persistent governance tension and capacity gap between central and local levels.Methodologically, the LPAI provides a replicable tool for assessing the localization of global governance and serves as a basis for crossnational or longitudinal comparisons of migration policy diffusion, specifically within East Asian contexts.