How Contexts of Reception Matter: Comparing Peruvian Migrants’ Economic Trajectories in Japan and the US Ayumi Takenaka* and Karsten Paerregaard** ABSTRACT This paper examines how Peruvian migrants fare economically in two historically and cultur- ally distinct host countries, Japan and the US, drawing upon a survey and interviews con- ducted in both countries. Peruvian migrants surveyed share similar socio-economic backgrounds and migrated to both countries for similar reasons roughly around the same time. Yet, over time, they achieved more occupational upward mobility in the US than in Japan. Japan has not done quite as well as the US in providing immigrants with occupational oppor- tunities due to its less diversified immigrant labor market, limited entrepreneurship opportuni- ties, and restricted modes of immigrant incorporation. Does it mean, however, that Peruvian migrants are less successful in Japan than the US? Although occupational mobility is a com- monly used measure of social mobility, the definitions and meanings of “success” are context- dependent. Peruvians in the US do experience more occupational mobility, but diverge more greatly in economic achievement amongst themselves. In Japan, on the other hand, while they experience little occupational mobility, they have had more economic equality with relatively stable and high wages. The paper examines Peruvian migrants’ distinct economic trajectories over time, focusing on their occupational mobility. We conclude that occupational mobility matters, not necessarily because it accompanies higher income, but because it shapes migrants’ aspirations. In the context where immigrants’ destinations have become more diverse in the world, the paper provides insights into how immigrants “make it” and what it means to “make it” in recent destinations, such as Japan, in comparison to more traditional immigrant coun- tries, such as the US. INTRODUCTION Two decades have passed since Peruvians began emigrating to the US, Europe, and to countries as far as Japan. 1 Most of them left in search of better economic opportunities; whether they actually found better opportunities, however, depends, in part, on where they ended up. As a relatively new destination for Peruvian migrants, Japan is largely regarded to have lagged behind traditional desti- nations, such as the US, in providing migrants with economic opportunities. Past studies have indi- cated that immigrants’ economic opportunities are relatively limited in Japan in comparison with * Bryn Mawr College. ** University of Copenhagen. doi: 10.1111/imig.12001 © 2012 The Authors International Migration © 2012 IOM International Migration Vol. 53 (2) 2015 ISSN 0020-7985 Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.