Studying the Situation of Foreign Migrants between Taiwan and Japan

Both Taiwan and Japan seem to share the issues of an aging population and low fertility rate in terms of the labor force. They may import a labor force from abroad, but it seems that policies for foreign (migrant) workers are rather ineffective and impractical. In the case of Japan, Japanese descendants from South American countries and Chinese migrants from mainland China have become the dominant alternative labor force. In contrast, it is argued that many migrant workers from Southeast Asian countries such as Vietnam, Thailand and the Philippines have come to Taiwan. Are the trends of imported migrants into Taiwan and Japan comparable given the countries¡¯ ethnic and cultural backgrounds? In addition, what role do Chinese from mainland China play in this issue? In this paper, the author examines the immigration policies of the two governments and comparatively analyzes the impact of foreign migrants on Taiwanese and Japanese societies.