TY - JOUR T1 - Craving Jobs? Revisiting Labor and Educational Migration from Uzbekistan to Japan and South Korea AU - Soipov, Timur Dadabaev & Jasur JO - Acta Via Serica PY - 2020 DA - 2020/1/1 DO - 10.22679/avs.2020.5.2.005 KW - educational migration KW - remittances KW - Uzbekistan KW - Japan KW - South Korea AB - This paper focuses on the emerging patterns of educational mobility and unskilled labor migration from Uzbekistan to Japan and South Korea. Labor migration and educational mobility are becoming the next “horizon” in the expanded relationship between East and Central Asia, powered by several factors, including the efforts by Japan and South Korea to build “original” people-oriented policy engagements with the region and the demand from Central Asian states, such as Uzbekistan, to provide more labor opportunities to their young and growing populations. This paper presents the initial findings of a pilot survey that explores and occasionally compares the experiences of Uzbek migrants to Japan and South Korea, using datasets of face-to-face interviews related to various aspects of life in Japan and South Korea. The interviews were conducted face to face and online (Telegram, Skype, etc.) with 66 migrants and Japanese language school students (whom this paper treats as labor migrants masquerading as students) in Japan from November 2019 to January 2020 as well as online with 30 laborers and students in South Korea from August to September 2020.