Yunchen Tian

English / 日本語 / 中文

Project-Specific Associate Professor at Kyoto University Graduate School of Law. I study migration politics and governance, labor, and political economy in Asia (focus on Japan).

You can find my most current CV here.

Ongoing Projects

  • 『「外国人問題」の構造と世論分析』 Discursive and public-opinion analysis of the "Foreigner Issue" (PI) with Michael Strausz (funded by Nomura Foundation)
  • Rethinking Climate Migration as a Socio-Natural Process (PI) with Jamila Rodrigues, Mariko Kihira, Syarifah Dalimunthe, El Bram Apriyanto, Muamar Haqi, Khanh Ta Linh, Hung Thinh Phan Truong, Brigette Lucero, and Bing Yang Tan (funded by Kyoto University URA Spirit 2 Award 2026-2028)
  • Who Gets a Voice? Migrant Civic Inclusion and the Limits of Integration Policy in Japan, Taiwan (Project convenor) with Michael Strausz, Yi-Chun Chien, Rina Komiya, and Thomas Myskvoll (funded by 2026-2027 SSRC Japan Global Collaborative Network Grant)
  • Changing Regimes of Multilevel Governance of Labor Migration in Asia
  • Economic Framing and Local Politicians’ Support for Same-Sex Partnership Recognition in Japan with Michael Strausz, Yoshi Ono, Jordan Peterson, and Hikaru Yamagishi

    • Recent Publications

  • Tian, Yunchen. 2026. “Maintaining Sovereignty at the Margins: Internal Migration Governance in Okinawa.” Territory, Politics, Governance.
  • Tian, Yunchen. 2022. “Workers, Neighbours, or Something Else? Local Policies and Policy Narratives of Technical Intern Training Program Participants.” Social Science Japan Journal, 26(1): 77-92.
  • Tian, Yunchen. 2019. “Workers by Any Other Name: Comparing Co-Ethnics and ‘Interns’ as Labour Migrants to Japan.” Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies 45 (9): 1496–1514.
  • Chung, Erin Aeran, Darcie Draudt, and Yunchen Tian. 2024. “The Developmental Migration State.” Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 50 (3):637-656.
  • Chung, Erin, James F Hollifield, and Yunchen Tian. 2024. “Migration Governance in East and Southeast Asia.” International Relations of the Asia-Pacific, 24 (3): 497-522.

    • Teaching

    Kyoto University Institute for Liberal Arts and Sciences (2025~)

  • State and Civil Society I
  • State and Civil Society II
  • Politics and Governance of International Migration

    • Doshisha Womens' College (2025~)

  • Multiculturalism in Modern Society

    • Find me elsewhere:

  • Google Scholar
  • ResearchMap
  • ORCID

    • Last updated: May 2026