"Unlike Taiwan (China) both Japan and Korea have long-standing policies which eschew the admission of low-skilled labour from abroad. What prompted them to abandon or make exceptions to the policy? Having opened their gates to low-skilled foreign workers, what policies and programmes did the three countries adopt to address concerns over the likelihood of permanent stay, problems with social integration and possible negative impact on wages of native workers? What role are these policies likely to play in the long-term future of the three East Asian countries given demographic trends and the social and economic changes that evolve in postindustrial societies?" (excerpt from the introduction)