["International Migration, Volume 64, Issue 5, September 2026. ", "\nABSTRACT\nThis article examines migration aspirations among highly educated Japanese nationals considering migration to Europe, with particular attention to how Europe is imagined as a normative horizon. Drawing on interviews with migration experts and Japanese aspiring migrants, the study shows that migration aspirations are shaped not only by structural constraints in Japan—such as economic stagnation, demanding work cultures, and gender inequality—but also by perceptions of Europe as a space associated with democratic values, social inclusion, gender equality, and alternative ways of organising work and everyday life. By focusing on aspirations rather than realised mobility, the article demonstrates how imaginaries of Europe and perceived constraints in the country of origin interact to shape migration motivations prior to actual movement.\n"]