Overview of Trends and Policies on International Migration to East Asia: Comparing Japan, Taiwan and South Korea

This overview article examines the major similarities and differences among the three countries in East Asia — Japan, Taiwan and Korea — in terms of their immigration policies and observed flows as an introduction to three country-specific papers and a contribution on the simulation of economic impacts of different migration scenarios in Asia. These papers are from a two-year project, “From Origin to Destination: Policy Alternatives for Managing Two-Way Migration Pathways in Asia,” funded by the Korea Foundation. The papers demonstrate important common patterns, including the special treatment of ethnic return migrants, population aging and demands for low-skilled migrant workers in the industrial and service sectors, the strict policy on temporary migration for low-skilled migrant workers, and the concentration of women in marriage migration and as carers in labor migration.