Remarriage migration of women in Asia: The case of Japan
| Published date | 01 August 2023 |
| Author | Sari K. Ishii |
| Date | 01 August 2023 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1111/imig.13090 |
College of Sociology, Rikkyo University,
Toshima-ku, Tokyo, Japan
Correspondence
Sari K. Ishii, College of Sociology, Rikkyo
University, 3-34-1, Nishi-Ikebukuro,
Toshima-ku, Tokyo 171-8501, Japan.
Email: ishiik@rikkyo.ac.jp
Funding information
Asahi Glass Foundation; Japan Society for
the Promotion of Science; Murata Science
Foundation; Rikkyo University
Abstract
This study aims to confirm the diversity of intra-Asian female
marriage migrants in Japan with comprehensive statistics.
Methodologically, I used quantitative method, collecting
appropriate data from local demographic and immigra-
tion statistics in Japan. Simultaneously, I reviewed related
empirical studies on the various factors affecting marriage
migration, including those written in the local language
(Japanese). Results indicate that 42.9 per cent of intra-Asian
female marriage migrants in Japan were middle-aged women
whose marriages to Japanese men were their second.
Beyond a simple development–migration nexus perspective
on marriage migration in Asia, middle-aged women entering
Japan for their second marriage often aim to escape social
stigmatization and poverty and to overcome the difficul-
ties of marrying late or remarrying in their own countries.
A more complex intersectionality of gender–class–age stig-
matization should be considered to understand marriage
migration. The findings have important policy implications
for both origin and destination countries.
ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Remarriage migration of women in Asia: The case
of Japan
Sari K. Ishii
DOI: 10.1111/imig.13090
Received: 25 January 2022 Revised: 2 August 2022 Accepted: 1 September 2022
INTRODUCTION
East Asian countries have experienced a sharp increase in female spousal migrants to Japan from the 1970s to the
1980s (Celero, 2012: 7; Ishii, 2016: 120; Suzuki, 2015: 120) and to Taiwan, followed by Korea, since the 1990s
(Bélanger et al., 2010; Choo, 2017: 499), corresponding to their respective economic ascendancies. Marriages
registered between Japanese husbands and foreign Asian wives first exceeded those between Japanese wives and
186
This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License, which permits use,
distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited and is not used for commercial purposes.
© 2022 The Author. International Migration published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of International Organization for Migration.
Int Migr. 2023;61:186–200.wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/imig
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