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Hatoyama says Japan should embrace more migrants

71 Comments

Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama said Saturday that his country, which is battling low birth rates and an ageing population, should make itself more attractive to migrants.

Japan has some of the world's strictest controls on immigration, and Hatoyama admitted that he was broaching a "sensitive issue." But he said that as well as introducing pro-family policies, Japan should attempt to encourage migrants to live and work there.

"I think Japan should also make itself a country attractive to people so that more and more people, including tourists, hope to visit Japan, hope to live and work in Japan," he said on the sidelines of an Asia-Pacific summit.

"I am not sure if I can call this 'immigration policy,' but what's important is to create an environment that is friendly to people all around the world so that they voluntarily live in Japan," he said.

Japan has relatively few resident foreigners, although in recent years it has cautiously opened up its job market to nurses and care workers from some Southeast Asian countries.

"First, we will improve support for child-rearing by offering cash allowances for families with children," before thinking about immigration to address the country's low birth rate, the premier said.

Japan's population has been shrinking since 2005. Despite efforts to raise the birth rate, a woman's average number of offspring now hovers around 1.3, well below the 2.07 needed to maintain the population.

Japan rejected the prospect of mass immigration under the conservative government led by the Liberal Democratic Party. Hatoyama's center-left Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) ousted them in September.

Some politicians have argued that an influx of immigrants would lead to lower wages for Japanese workers and a higher crime rate.

© Wire reports

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71 Comments
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A brave comment. Maybe they should review some of the existing laws that deter foreigners first.

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Of course this makes sense, the US would be shrinking now if not for immigrants to the country and the birth rate of Latinos.

Japan will sink into irrelevance soon if the population does not stop shrinking. J folks are going to start having kids at high numbers as the past decades have proven. So immigration is the only way out.

The high crime issues and wage stagnation statements are smokescreens for racism. Wages in Japan have been shrinking for decades now. Most young folks cannot find decent work, I think it is 1/3 that are unemployed or underemployed. Immigrants are willing to do what needs to be done to produced for their new country. That is one reason why the USA is the top country, fading now somewhat after the bush years, but still number one. Immigrants.

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cautiously opened up its job market to nurses and care workers from some Southeast Asian countries.

This is not true. A bunch of nurses were brought in from Indonesia because they work for peanuts. It was all about saving a bit of money.

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No need, Govt may consider after 2050 when CO2 emission targets are met.

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Sure, as long as they assimilate. See Denmark.

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The demand for care workers is exploding in Japan. Most Japanese themselves are just too lazy to work in the field. The too few care facilities for the elderly in Japan are chronically understaffed and have a high turnover rate. Japan needs to expand the programs mentioned in the article manyfold. But I'm puzzled by Hatoyama's comments: "We should do this?" Do it! You're the one in charge.

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anyway stop talking the talk and walk the walk... you already sent the Brazies home and beefed up the visa laws which will flush out the unworthies in 2010.

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This sounds good, but will it actually make a difference? I'd say hard to adjust to customs and discrimination are the main deterrents. Anyway, these steps are better than nothing. At least the issue is being addressed.

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This is a brave comment by a Japanese prime minister considering the veiled xenophobia that is still rife here. Perhaps what he does mean in particular is regarding the care industry, which will need vast numbers of people. I guess it doesn't help that the govt. here is about to bring in racist health care laws that will do the exact opposite of what Hatoyama has just said. I, and many I know, are out of here in 2010/11 when visas expire as we do not wish to be made to take out health care which is the opposite to our real needs. Japan's shrinking population is a good thing in the long term; people = pollution, so if they could shave 5-10 million off the total then all well and good. That would not necessarily have a great impact on Japan's ability to be a world leader in business.

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Wise words that hardly will come true.

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That would not necessarily have a great impact on Japan's ability to be a world leader in business.

japan's not a world leader in anything right now

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The idea of allowing in more foreigners is seen by some Japanese as a risk to the country's relatively crime-free and homogeneous society, and few Japanese employers offer immigrant workers the same rights as their Japanese colleagues. In Japan, with its shrinking population, faces serious economic consequences including labor shortages that could weigh on its GDP. Japan expects more than a quarter of its citizens to be aged over 65 by 2015 and its population is set to shrink by a third in 50 years if current trends continue. The necessity of changing laws to promote immigration as well as call for enhancements in Japanese language education and social security for immigrants are must if Japan wants to stay competitive with other nations.

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While imposing additional taxes and rules on anyone who wants to live in Japan. Singapore immigration is so much easier. Fill out a form on the INTERNET and then show up at immigration at the airport when you arrive. Everything is simple. Singapore wants people. Japan just says they want people but their actions to make life here harder simply amazes me.

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Yeah because many of you have either lived in Japan for too long or currently live in a Western Nation in a middle to upper class suburb, well distanced from large populations of ethnic people, let alone immigrants. They do bring a lot of unwanted baggage that negatively impacts communities in which they are placed but no matter how you or I feel, the politicians ultimately decide what's best for us so most discussions/complaints are moot.

Personally, I hope Japan doesn't change it's usual self with regards to immigration and foreigners. There are other ways to resolve this issue and as a previous commenter said, slashing a few million will help to ease the environmental burden among other things. This could all be blown out of proportion and exaggerated as is usually the case with many things in this world:/ If the decline does indeed continue, Japan will adapt and maintain progress but I don't see even Hatoyama's government making any crazy changes such as easing immigration or the like. This was clearly evident as he said "First, we will improve support for child-rearing by offering cash allowances for families with children,” before thinking about immigration" which indicates preferably, he'll exhaust all available methods before resorting to this worst case scenario (in the Japanese sense).

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The demand for care workers is exploding in Japan. Most Japanese themselves are just too lazy to work in the field.

I don't think it's a matter of "laziness," the fields are INSANE. Nurses and kaigoshi are forced to work 12 hour shifts (not including the weekly night shift). It's mentally, emotionally and physically taxing work. The system needs reform to protect the health of these caregivers.

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The more I see him, the more I like him. Now Hatoyama, start making changes and allow us to be equals.

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The usual "look at what we are talking about doing. Aren't we great?" stuff. Until something is actually done to MAKE it easier instead of just talking, it's simply paying yourself a little lip service. GOOD lip service, and I like Hatoyama for bringing it up, but words without any action really don't mean much in cases like this.

So, I suggest the government start by making it EASIER and more attractive, then talk about the actual issue of migrants.

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They talk about it so they never have to implement any policies to make immigration easier. It's the definition of lip service.

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“I think Japan should also make itself a country attractive to people so that more and more people, including tourists, hope to visit Japan, hope to live and work in Japan,”

You can give out any amount of money or change as many laws and policies as you want, it still won't change the attitudes of the populace regarding migrants here, at home and at the workplace.

Japan would rather have robots than open doors to accept more migrants.

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Japan probably isn't ready to accept migrants. Just look at their Hello Work, there is even Hello Work for foreigners, but if you went there without Japanese language skills JLPT level 2 or higher, you will just feel discriminated. Even companies doesn't accept foreigners unless they are JLPT 2 or higher.

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Most Japanese do not want more foreigners living in their country.

PERIOD

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of course the crime rate will increase if immigration increases. that would not be because foreigners are more crime prone it is because there is a distinct correlation between poverty and crime. immigrants will be paid less, partly because of language issues and of course discrimination. personally, I have not heard anything that yukio or his cronies have said that sounds as if it were thought out at all. pushing buttons is part of politics but this administration seems to be overly enthralled with doing so and lacking any rational plan of substance to solve any of the problems.

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Bold words. But unless your government actually plans on doing something to make the Japanese immigration process less ridiculous and confront the xenophobia among J-people, you're not going to encourage any gaijin to live in Japan.

You're not wrong, Hatoyama. Immigration is generally viewed as positive overall. (There are some negatives, but the positives outweigh them.) But your government will have to encourage a paradigm shift in the way J-people view foreigners for there to be significant improvement there.

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"but if you went there without Japanese language skills JLPT level 2 or higher, you will just feel discriminated. Even companies doesn't accept foreigners unless they are JLPT 2 or higher."

Outside of teaching English, the great majority of jobs should require foreigners to have a degree of Japanese language proficiency.

I don't see how anyone should interpret this as discrimination.

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Hatoyama says Japan should embrace more migrants

Unless there is more to this article that was not printed here, Prime Minister Hatoyama is not saying this.

What he is saying is vague and non-committal. It doesn't commit him to any course of action.

I guess it sounds good at such a meeting of international leaders in Singapore.

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Japan is NOT an attractive place to live and work for most western foreigners at least. Some crappy god forsaken 1 year contract english teaching "job". No thanks! Good western foreigners would only come if there were proper secure jobs/careers available. And that's never going to happen as the japanese are very happy keeping the foreigner in his/her place and as expendable labor.

Why, when the foreigner first arrives at the airport he/she is fingerprinted as a criminal. What a welcome indeed! And where is the dual nationality possiblity that most normal advanced countries allow?? Ha ha, japan is just going to sink into oblivion. But who cares??

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Meanwhile the rest of the world has made it a standard to use English at the working place. I don't see anyone coming here except for manga freaks. Japan is millions of years behind.

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TokyoLurker, If someone wants to live in a country, they need to have either a unique and highly needed skill that transcends their lacks or basic skills that enable them to be competitive with the indigent job market. A JLPT 2 rating is not in the least unreasonable, it establishes a language proficiency aprox. equal to a grade school graduate. That would mean being able to use the joyo kanji and having a working vocabulary. Japan is already significantly burdened in supporting marginally employable j folk. Supporting immigrants makes no sense at all. For those with no job? Your home country is waiting with its arms wide open. Those that posses marketable skills? Japan needs you because as many have alluded to able, j folk tend to be quite a lazy lot.

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Outside of teaching English, the great majority of jobs should require foreigners to have a degree of Japanese language proficiency.

I don't see how anyone should interpret this as discrimination.

I agree with that much. If the company is operating in German, a job applicant should be expected to know German. If the company is operating in Japanese, a job applicant should be expected to know Japanese.

If a Japanese person went to America with extremely limited English proficiency, is it realistic to expect anyone to hire them for a decent-paying job?

I sympathize with people who want to work in Japan and don't know Japanese, but it's not discrimination if no one will hire you because you can't communicate with the employer. What is discrimination is if you speak Japanese flawlessly or near-flawlessly and they still won't hire you or if they treat you as an inferior even if they do.

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After saying this, he won't be PM for too much longer. Next number please!

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sadly all talk and no trousers. hopefully I'll be proven wrong

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Japan must made easy to first housing rent system for females of thier own nationlaity then they can make population growth .It is also discrimination in socity such women can not freely rent apartment in here.Hatoyaman must understan it.Then comes out the migration people to provide job and live. Does it possible ? Housing company needs gurantor of man when she needed new accmodaiton in japan if her husband is foreigners how she can provide.who will understand this problems.Ohspeech is esay but in pratice is diffcult in Japan.Landlord need reward for to provide his property plus rent.No other country pratcies such things.So Japan how business can florish? If there is old system of illeagal pratices are doing in 21st centuray.

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First Japanese government must push through parliament the mighty "anti discrimination law"..from that point the flow-on effect will be enormous. Please enlighten me if Japan already has one but everyone just ignores it.

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Good opinion, but I'll believe it when I see it in terms of practical policies such as:

Abolition of the gaijin card. Remove the powers of police to stop foreigners without suspecting them of a criminal charge. Setup government structures that counter discrimination.

TBH I think he's probably saying more Chinese and Korean factory workers are needed... basically. Ones who speak damn good Japanese, and will be happy earning 1000 yen an hour scrubbing toilets. They'll work hard, obey orders and do jobs that most Japanese people don't want to do.

Most Gaijins will come in with uni degrees and a wealth of experience, expecting 600 000+ yen a month, health benefits and holidays, but won't speak any Japanese.

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Lets change that... 1000 yen an hour's pretty rich TBH... 500 yen an hour maybe? :P

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'Remove the powers of police to stop foreigners without suspecting them of a criminal charge.' They don't have that right, and they know it. Zatsu likes to impose rules they made up themselves; as soon as you call 'em out, they'll drop them. They can't ask you for your gaijin card, they can't search you without a warrant. Same thing with riding a bike on the sidewalk; the police made that up for 'safety reasons'. I just ride on the side of the road, so I don't have to dodge pedestrians all the time. When I get stopped, I'll be like 'by law I can ride on the side of the road'. And that's where it ends.

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Poor Hato's 15 minutes is up, he will be gone soon for opening a can of worms......ie migrants :p

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Someone please explain to me why an overcrowded nation like Japan needs more people. It makees more sense to use robots to increase efficiency and let the population drop for Japan to be a more livable place.

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It makees more sense to use robots to increase efficiency and let the population drop for Japan to be a more livable place.]

Gee thanks for the banal quip. Have you got any of these robots lying around? Fool.

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Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama said Saturday that his country, which is battling low birth rates and an ageing population, should make itself more attractive to migrants.

Wow! that's impressive! wonder who he's trying to please?

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Some brave words indeed by the PM. However, there are many millions of Japanese who are struggling with underemployment / unemployment that need who need to be looked after first. Opening up borders and creating even more competition for the scarce full time, proper paying jobs will only galvanize anger and build up (even more?) resentment towards the government and the foreign nationals already residing in Japan, I'd think?

I believe immigration, with proper implementation and supervision, is a wonderful thing and beneficial in many respects; but the timing isn't right for him to be addressing this, with so many native Japanese struggling to cope.

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WMD sums it up:

Japan is NOT an attractive place to live and work for most western foreigners at least.

People with postgraduate degrees can come here and still end up with one-year contracts and with little hope of promotion. I myself am thinking of leaving next year. The fact that foreigners are forced to pay towards a pension which will never see the day of light means that the government merely sees skilled foreigners as a cashcow - something to finance the elderly without the need to give back anything.

Nurses from Indonesia have studied hard (in both Japanese and nursing) and yet they'll only have one chance to qualify and MUST leave after several years. I'd like to see a gradual decrease in the population (so that life can be comfortable in the long-term) but also allow in skilled workers who will contribute in a positive way, look after them and allow them to settle. For the poster who said immigrants bring with them baggage - skilled workers are not the same as refugees and illegal migrants. That's where Europe has gone wrong.

Yes, many people are struggling with unemployment, but NOONE wants to go into nursing! Japan desperately needs nurses.

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Someone please explain to me why an overcrowded nation like Japan needs more people

Japan is only overcrowded if you live in Tokyo. There are large parts of the country that are only sparsely inhabited.

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This is a sensitive issue. As my school days draw to an end I am considering the possibility of staying to work in Japan, but a tiny voice in the back of my mind wails with horror whenever I think about working here. Working conditions and workplace equality for women are inferior in Japan than in my home country. Also, I would like to marry and have children someday and Japan refuses to sign the Hague Convention regarding international children abduction by parents - that is a Sword of Damocles I refuse to have hanging over my head. I read about a case when the Japanese wife died and while her French husband (they lived in France) was still grieving hours within his wife's death, his wife's mother abducted their children to Japan and he hasn't been able to recover them. What a terrifying thing. Also, I have not met any real candidates; almost all men expect me to ditch my culture and fully embrace Japanese culture to the point of even shush any cultural reference to my past because (yes you guessed) 'This is Japan.' I speak Japanese albeit not at native-level and this I observe may put a hindrance on landing a job, even in a scholarly field. It appears like even if I pay into national insurance it will support the Japanese elderly but I won't be supported unless I work 20 years in Japan -continuously- so that if I work out of Japan for some years, I lose everything. I am a post-graduate professional. Honestly... the tiny voice is wailing louder. It might serve me better to pay heed to it.

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Japan refuses to sign the Hague Convention regarding international children abduction by parents - that is a Sword of Damocles I refuse to have hanging over my head

ahahahahaha

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Azrael: Yes, listen to your inner voice! I think Japan is a great place to stay for 3 or 4 years but it doesn't offer foreigners much in terms of longterm employment and stability.

Shaolin7: I think I'm in partial agreement with you here. Things have to improve for Japanese people too. Some of my Japanese friends don't find Japan a very attractive place to live. Young people in particular, are not willing to give up their life to a company. They want to be able to enjoy their free time, have a social life and also want to be able to speak their mind freely.

hanadecaka: You made some good points as well. There is still way too much discrimination against women in Japan (probabably as much as foreigners face) If Japan utilized woman and their talents in the workforce and provided support for working mothers & their families (maternity leave, daycare, etc), they wouldn't have to be worried about not having enough workers.

Plus, a lot of foreigners will likely be leaving Japan next year when then visa requirements regarding health insurance change. Also, My Brazian friend went back to his country this spring since the government gave him 300, 000 yen. Not really a sign that they welcome foreigners.

So, as many people have already said, Hatoyama's statement sounds great but there are other more pressing problems to fix first. When you say that next time, Hatoyama, make sure you are being realistic and sincere.

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sorry, that's 'Brazilian'

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yes ;; we can live in japan as a very japanese ; so i have a question : how we do for living in japan????

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Thanks for your reply, dolphingirl. You are probably right. I think it's better in the long run to leave Japan.

Norinrad21, are you quite alright?

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Azrael,

your best bet is to work for a foreign firm in Japan. Forget working for a J firm. And not all foreign firms in Japan respect women to even there be careful.

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Azrael,

I thought you hit the nail on the head with that statement. its funny because its true which is why i was laughing. the truth sometimes is also a joke when you think about it.

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Overall, I would like to see more immigrants allowed in Japan. Of course, it should come with assimilation (e.g. learning the language and customs of Japan), and I'm sure as long as immigration procedures are eased, foreigners would have no trouble doing so. Of course, as foreigners, if we do become Japanese citizens, but remain stubborn to not adopting Japanese practices, then we face the danger of remaining looking and seeming like a foreigner. And who would want to come to Japan to look and see people who they could very well see back in their own country? I mean, I came to Japan to see and talk with people who didn't look like me, or acted like me; to eat food and see sights that I can't see back home. It is the same reasons I go to places like Thailand, India, etc, to experience customs and cultures that are unique to their own country.

Bottom line is, if more immigration allows the preservation of culture, then I'm all for it.

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Japan is NOT an attractive place to live and work for most western foreigners at least

WMD: Why are you still here then?

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The resolution of the population problem is very easy for Japan and for Europe. Men and women marry with the intention of raising a family with lots of children to be loved, cared for the glory of God. Men and women today are simply to selfish and self-centered. Children become pets to show off and have and then leave at child care centers, schools or jukus, while the parents "fulfil" themselves in their careers.

In American it is fathers wanted to rehash their "glory" days while playing their own sports or forcing their children to play different sports. In Japan it is the father at work all day and providing no support or help to the wife. It will not be an easy problem to solve, it never is when you are fighting the battle between selfish self-interests and what is right. Men and women are to blame and until they realize that they are no longer their own but others they will be unhappy. And women who think that they have to be outside the home to "fulfil" themselves are either selfish, deluded or both. The old saying is so true: "The hand that rocks the cradle is the hand that rules the world."

Migrants will not solve the problem, as in America, migrants will create their own ethnic enclaves, demand their "rights" and try to change the society as they have done in America.

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This is the beginning of the end for Japan. Immigration will certainly lead to rising crime but worst of all, it will see the very gradual replacement of small Japanese families by large third world ones. Sixty years ago, similarly mis-guided politicians here in London did the same. Now only one new baby in ten is native British and the English face extinction in a few generations. The road to hell is paved with good intentions.

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the transition to a Japanese population not of direct Japanese heritage should have started decades earlier, say 70-80s. This is too little too late with the inevitable result of the wholesale decline of Japan.

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@GerryMandering;

citizen is not a race, so what origin of your countrymen are is totally irrelevant. Your citizens pay taxes and keep the economy running.

Japan on the other hand is losing workers by the generation full, and has little to help them when the time comes.

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sad to read so many depressing comments

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japan does not allow you to call your parents over to live with you , they are only allowed here on a temporary 3-month visitors visa, thats it. I have permanent residency.

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If the government would force companies to stop requiring employees to work crazy hours w/o overtime and discourage the practice of going out until the wee hours with one's coworkers and supervisor, allowing Japanese people to have a decent family life, and, a big if, Japanese men change their attitude towards women, perhaps more people would get married and have children.

Japan will always be for the Japanese only, doesn't take one long here to understand this; only the self-delusional like Debito think that foreigners can actually assimilate into this country with the same inherent rights and privileges as native born.

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You can travel anywhere in the World for work and use English. Learning Japanese is, while interesting, largely a waste of time when you could be concentrating on something else.

As in most things, I suspect they will dither on this for 10 or so years, then finally begin to introduce some significant changes. That said, in the 5 or so years I've been here, there seem to be more foreigners in Tokyo. I haven't faced trouble renting apartments recently either. Whether this is just to do with me or is a more general trend, I'm unsure.

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Assimilation rarely happens with the first generation even in immigrant-friendly countries like Canada, it's usually the second-generation who are born in their new country who actually begin to assimilate, so maybe this would hold true in Japan. Sadly immigrants in Canada far too often move into neighborhoods full of their fellow ex-countrymen which end up as ethnic enclaves where people can't even speak English as they have no need to, Japan should avoid this too.

Oh and if this push for migrants keeps out more of the eikaiwa rifraff, then I'm all for it.

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japan does not allow you to call your parents over to live with you , they are only allowed here on a temporary 3-month visitors visa, thats it. I have permanent residency.

The first thing I learnt when I decided to live and work in Japan is that you must be independent and able to live away from your family. From then on I just look at the bright side of living in Japan. Glad that I found JT discussion board and many fellow gaijins to 'talk' to...:) thx!

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Japan is NOT an attractive place to live and work for most western foreigners at least

WMD: Why are you still here then?

Good point, seesaw. I often ask myself the question, why would anyone continue to live in a place that they obviously hate, especially when they continue to have citizenship elsewhere (thus making it easy for them to return anytime). I for one would just go back home, if I ever thought it absolutely unbearable to live in Japan. Things that make you go hmmm..

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Many foreigners living here have complaints about Japan but we don't leave because there are also lots of good things about Japan. I would love to see Japan become a more international country but that's not likely going to happen until many changes are made. Having people of different cultures and ethnicities living in the same country creates a beautiful diversity. We learn from each other, find new ways of thinking about things...

Ideally, if people could easily move from one country to another and establish a life, international marriages would be more common and there would lots of bicultural children too, thus encouraging more understanding and tolerance of other cultures; maybe more peace, too. Japan will eventually learn that it has to open it's doors if it's going to survive in this global economy.

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I would love to see Japan become a more international country but that's not likely going to happen until many changes are made.

Good point. I would also like to see Japan become more international. However, I seriously doubt that the vast majority of foreigners would work in anything other than the English teaching industry, or "entertainment" industry. Yet, there are a good number of foreigners who have taken steps to preserve the Japanese culture by learning trades like making tatami mats, rice-paper screens, Japanese lacquerware, and traditional house-building (without the use of nails).

Once Japan relaxes immigration procedures, and foreigners become more open to adopting the Japanese culture and language, it will become a more international country. I'm sure the hundreds of other homogeneous countries in the world (such as Korea, Morocco, Algeria, India, and Poland) will also follow suit.

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Embrace them, then send them back, I suspect most people would say.

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Hes blowing hot air again.

The problem is, the term "foreigners" is just too general. For example, many Japanese people do not want Chinese, or Korean foreigners in their country, but Europeans are more accepted.

I myself have encountered this with a Japanese lady i used work with. A gaikokujin came to work in our old office and the old Oba got so angry, shouting about americans invading Japan, but when she found out the girl was actually from England, the Oba was perfectly nice to her. When asked, the Oba told me that English people are polite and kind, so she didnt mind them coming to Japan, but she didnt like Americans.

I guess the old stereotypes still exist :(

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Men and women marry with the intention of raising a family with lots of children to be loved, cared for the glory of God.

Oh, please! You can have a functional and loving family without subjecting your kids to "God" and other forms of antiquated mythology.

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he old Oba got so angry, shouting about americans invading Japan, but when she found out the girl was actually from England, the Oba was perfectly nice to her.

Funny...a geriatric from England would probably not have quite the same positive feelings about the Japanese. The Oba remembers the American occupation, the British remember Burma.

Japan does not want mass permanent third world immigration, or rather its population did not. The only real solution is the birthrate - Japan must be more generous to families. It is proposed, but long overdue.

Japan needs a baby boom now, or the country will be in crisis in 20 years. Then the young will be trying to get out and wishing they had paid attention in English class.

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