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

人口老龄化是需要迫切关注的最大全球挑战之一。亚洲有两个国家受此影响尤为严重：日本--老年人口比例居世界之首;中国--人口老龄化速度居世界之首。本研究探讨了中国人移居日本背景下的养老、福祉、数字技术的作用以及COVID-19大流行的影响。中国人是日本最大的移民群体。但他们如何与中国年迈的父母保持联系并照顾他们呢？在日本的中国老年移民如何与他们在中国和世界各地的社交网络联系？数字技术和社交媒体在这些社交网络和跨国护理关系中扮演什么角色？日本的移民制度在塑造这些移民和护理模式方面发挥了什么作用？这些都是如何受到COVID-19大流行的影响的？这些都是这个博士研究的主要问题，旨在解决，通过一个混合的方法，将包括在日本的中国移民和他们的老年父母在中国和日本的面对面和在线访谈;绘制社会图，通过它使社交网络可见;定量内容分析的社会媒体内容;和数字方法，如网络报废和使用的社会媒体。这项研究将是跨学科的性质和成果，反映了研究者的背景和监督团队从地理学，社会学，电子和计算机科学。

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.