Japanese Global Migration Down to the Present Time (1): A Quantitative Survey on the Wellbeing of Elderly Japanese in the UK

In recent decades, ageing has become one of the world’s most pressing issues, especially in highly developed countries such as Japan and the UK. In addition, the pressures of globalization and migration are making ageing an increasingly intercultural process. Those who cross social and cultural borders eventually grow old and experience a series of losses in physical strength, social utility or family relationships in an intercultural context. In a multicultural society like the UK, many elderly people from ethnic minority groups find themselves in a type of ‘double jeopardy,’ suffering from both racial discrimination and ageism. The amount of Japanese migration to the UK has been gradually increasing since the 1970s. Consequently, the UK has become home to one of the biggest expatriate Japanese communities in the world since the 1990s. Japan’s increasing investment in and expanding business links with the UK have facilitated the mobility of Japanese individuals to the UK, and later some of them have become permanent residents in the UK. The number of intermarriages between Japanese and British nationals has also stabilized. In the process, the Japanese community in the UK has become aware of its own rising age. In order to share their experiences with ageing and to facilitate the idea of active ageing among this community, in 1996, the Japanese Association in the UK was established and organized to discuss health care problems and to help people plan for an active and fulfilling retirement life. Later, Japan Care UK was also formed to coordinate activities for the elderly Japanese in the UK. Notwithstanding these groups’ voluntary efforts over the last 17 years, the ageing issues faced by Japanese in the UK have become more serious and intense. Recently, the number of elderly Japanese who urgently need culturally sensitive care (e.g., language support, Japanese food delivery, conversational partners) seems to have been growing very rapidly. It can be easily assumed that their need for care will continue to intensify in the very near future. Ironically enough, however, the stereotype of the Japanese in the UK as a model minority has prevented the elderly Japanese in the UK from being seen as a discrete group in need of culturally sensitive care. They have been invisible, and therefore, the problems arising from their ageing process have been ignored as well. Following research questions are addressed in this research: how have the elderly Japanese lived and aged in the UK? What are their needs in everyday life? How can the ethnic community contribute to the wellbeing of their elderly ? This quantitative survey will examine the living conditions of the elderly Japanese in London and illustrate their needs in everyday life. This research is supported by Tokutei Kojin Kenkyuhi at Momoyama Gakuin University (St. Andrew’s University), the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, the Japan Foundation (UK), and the Embassy of Japan in the UKdepartmental bulletin pape