Labor Migration, Trafficking and International Marriage: Female Cross-Border Movements into Japan

Despite the fact that the phenomenon of labor migration has always involved the active participation of independent women, conventional migration studies have typically ignored gender- specific analyses. This is related to prevailing definitions of labor and the nature of women's work in general, as well as to globally restrictive immigration policies. Current experiences of female immigration—particularly from Asia, the biggest exporter of female labor—are characterized by the overwhelming presence of women migrants in the sex sector, in domestic labor and in the commercial marriage market. This paper draws on the author's previous research on international labor migration and international marriage. It contributes a viewpoint on labor migration by introducing a gender-specific analysis that goes beyond conventional definitions of labor by including in the discussion the issue of an international marriage market and trafficking in women, set within the broader context of a gendered political economy and a global patriarchal system. The paper argues for the abandonment of the strict distinction between voluntary labor migration and trafficking in women. A more flexible approach in immigration policies is needed to cater for the complex situations of female migrants and to protect their human rights.