Chinese Migrant Families in Japan: Investigating Social Networks for Old-Age Care Provision and the Role of Digital Technology in Times of the COVID-1

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Population ageing is one of the greatest global challenges needing urgent attention. Two countries in Asiaare particularly impacted by this: Japan - with the highest proportion of older citizens in the world, andChina - with the most rapidly ageing population in the world. This study explores old-age care, wellbeing,the role of digital technology, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the context of Chinesemigration to Japan. Chinese are the largest migrant community in Japan. But how do they maintain linkswith, and provide care for, their ageing parents in China? How do older Chinese migrants in Japan linkwith their social networks in China and around the world? What role do digital technology and socialmedia play in these social networks and transnational relations of care? What role does the Japaneseimmigration regime play in shaping these patterns of migration and care? And how have all of thesebeen impacted by the COVID-19 Pandemic? These are the key questions that this proposed Ph.D.research aims to address, through a mixed-methods approach that will include in-person and onlineinterviews with Chinese migrants in Japan and their older parents in both China and Japan; drawingsociograms through which social networks are made visible; quantitative content analysis of social mediacontent; and digital methods such as web scrapping and use of social media. This research will beinterdisciplinary in nature and outputs, reflecting the researcher's background and the supervisory teamfrom geography, sociology, and electronic & computer science.