Issues of language choice, ethics and equity: Japanese retirees living in Malaysia as their second home

Issues in healthcare services in Malaysia as experienced by Japanese retirees

“…This figure only represents the number of persons given permission to stay in Malaysia with an MM2H visa. The characteristics of the visa is that its holders can be accompanied by their families, such as spouses, parents and unmarried children under twenty-one years old [ 2 ]. Therefore, the number of Japanese retirees in Malaysia is likely to be much bigger than the number of visas issued.…”

“…For Japanese retirees who live in Malaysia, both of these categories are prevalent [ 6 ]. There are only a few studies carried out on the topic related to the social and cultural issues of Japanese retirees living abroad [ 2 , 4 , 15 ]. Ono conducted a qualitative study on Japanese retirees in Malaysia [ 4 ].…”

“…Trained nurses and care-givers are crucial to support the lives of elderly Japanese retirees who remain in the destination countries. Stapa et al investigated the degree to which Japanese retirees are willing to learn Malay language or English for communicating with local people [ 2 ]. Results showed that English was the language of choice (and not Malay), when Japanese retirees communicate with doctors in the hospital to explain their health ailments.…”

“…They claimed to experience difficulty in their efforts to integrate; and some, surprisingly, refused to integrate by intentionally keeping distance from the local community. The word ‘contemplation’ was used to describe the slow process of Japanese retirees getting used to the new environment and culture in Malaysia [ 2 ]. Living among Japanese circle and community, they maintain their value as being Japanese in a foreign country.…”

Second homes planning, policy and governance

“…The regulation of the second home is often the same as any other form of housing but, depending on the jurisdiction, second home properties can have additional layers of regulatory requirements because of their impacts on amenity landscapes and the housing stock available to permanent residents (Collins & Kearns, 2010;Hidle, Ellingsen, & Cruickshank, 2010). In addition, in the case of international second homes there are issues of rights and citizenship (Stapa, Musaev, Hieda, & Amzah, 2013), as well as potential concerns over foreign land ownership (Pitkänen & Vepsäläinen, 2008). However, such concerns can also apply in domestic second home ownership with respect to political representation and the selection of permanent residence, especially following retirement, as the selection of place of permanent residence can provide for monetary flows from central to local government as well as inform investment decisions, such as health care and public transport, that are often based on population estimates (Müller & Hall, 2003).…”