International migrations in extra-urban areas: exploring challenges and opportunities in Italy and Japan

Major urban areas have always played an attractive role for migratory flows. More recently, however, small and medium-sized towns, as well as rural and peripheral areas, often isolated, with limited public transport access, services, and without previous relevant experiences of international migration, have witnessed an increase in terms of migrants arrival, asking for a particular attention and reflection. Specific opportunities may emerge in terms of local transformation of less favoured areas and migrants’ social inclusion, but peculiar challenges may arise too. Developing on qualitative fieldworks focusing on international migrants in Shiga prefecture in Japan (conducted in 2017), on the one side, and in small-medium towns and rural areas in Italy (conducted in 2020-2021), the chapter aims at discussing the specific challenges and emerging opportunities connected to international migrations in extra-urban areas.