A comparison of migration behaviour in Japan and Britain using spatial interaction models

Several recent papers have compared the measurement of migration in different countries, and some have compared migration patterns to the extent that these can be compared cross-nationally. In this paper we measure and comment on differences in the behaviour of migrants in two systems, Japan and Britain. In both countries the focus of attention is on interregional migration. Migration behaviour is measured in terms of elasticities of migration responses to various aspects of destination attractiveness, namely distance from the origin, population size and relative accessibility to other destinations. Origin-specific migration destination choice models are calibrated to obtain this information. The results reveal interesting differences in the factors underlying destination attractiveness in the two countries which have important implications both for the way in which migration is modelled, and for the impacts of migration on the urban systems in both countries.