As the shrinking population becomes a more serious problem and if Japan wants to be seen as a good option for overseas workers, it needs to communicate that it has the proper structure in place to welcome them.

Japan wants to be seen as a good option for overseas workers

but it isn't at all.

it needs to communicate that it has the proper structure in place to welcome them

It doesn't- Especially for blue collar workers. As someone who has worked in the blue collar industry, I can tell you that Japan is by no means a good option for overseas workers. By no means

It isn't a good option for any workers,from overseas or Japanese.

The typical Japanese work environment is already hell for the locals. What makes you think they'll change to accommodate foreign workers? Working in Japan, in general, is horrible and detrimental to your physical, mental, and emotional health.

Working in Japan, in general, is horrible and detrimental to your physical, mental, and emotional health

100% on the money

blue- extremely well said.

Reckless- very good points

But if your government is deeply in debt

It's not. Nearly half the govt bonds are owned by the Bank of Japan. Public funds, like the pension fund, own another big portion. Anyway, investors are happy to buy J. bonds for nearly zero return. That's a great position for Japan to be in.

 promised pensions that it has no way to pay,

I haven't heard of pensioners not getting their benefits due to depleted funds. Have you? Pensions are paid when civil servants mark up the bank balances of pensioners with electronic credits. They don’t withdraw cash from a govt bank account, because they don’t need to.

That’s easily doable because the yen is solid stable currency, a global safe haven, which has nothing to do with the country's demographics.

Further to Reckless' points, I think what the article is describing solves the biggest problem, that is, recognition of someone working in 3K jobs like demolition, meat and fish packing, and low level manufacturing as a guest worker with individual rights.

Too often in the past, workers have been allowed in through the backdoor via yakuza brokers and have had no individual rights. A guest worker with the right to stay and their hands on their own passport is in a way stronger position than someone with no visa, no passport, and a broker fee of 500,000 yen being taken out of their wages.

If your default mode is viewing foreigners as potential criminals or you won’t allow those working in Japan an opportunity to settle, no one with decent skills and experience will want to come. If you insist on treating foreign workers as disposable work drones with evil on their mind you are on a hiding to nothing.

Japan is not a good option for foreign workers because the pay is horrible and working conditions are worse.

Japan's ideal foreigners is a Westerner willing to stay in their place as a cool second-class resident. That is what people may call the "Nova Business Model." They come for the Shimo-Kitazawa, Harajuku, Setagaya, Naka Meguro and Jiyugaoka scenes. They came to Japan for their hobby like anime, cosplay or bujutsu. employment options are limited with an obvious "glass ceiling".

However, most Westerners that involve higher paying jobs at foreign companies in Japan do not want to live in Japan long term even if married to a Japanese person. They can live in a virtual "foreigner bubble" and insulate themselves from most of Japan. Foreign friendly areas like Hiroo, Roppongi, Kagurazaka, and the military facilities. Any attempt of Japan to attract more of these types of people will lead to more Japanese executives and government officials scheming and plotting against foreigners more capable than themselves (Ghosn incident). They do not want to see foreigners doing better themselves in Japan. That goes for most of Japanese society.

Most foreigners come from developing asian countries and work "3D jobs" (dangerous, dirty, and difficult). They too have their own enclaves that usually rely on Japanese people as their main customers like Chinatown Little Nepal, India, Brazilian enclaves, Viet enclaves and Koreatown. Once again, their status and place in Japanese society is obvious and limited.

The exceptions are always entrepreneurs.

Did I mention the pay usually sucks for most foreigners working for Japan Inc?

A shrinking population is NOT a serious problem -- unless you want it to be.

@ JeffLee

It's not just that the population is shrinking. It's also greying, which is probably a more serious problem.

A shrinking population is NOT a serious problem

Actually here in Japan it already IS a very serious problem. As I have been saying for decades population pyramid for Japan clearly shows the future is GRIM, look at the top & bottom, the top is very heavy & show the population will drop very steadily as the population ages. At the bottom the pyramid is quickly INVERTING, soon even if couples have 3-4kids the population will STILL FALL!!

I agree overall worldwide a lower population would be much better, but looking at each country you really have to look HOW its population is declining, Japan's is set to fall off a cliff, may already be too late in the long term

A shrinking population is NOT a serious problem -- unless you want it to be.

It’s certainly not, on its own, a rationale for open-door immigration.

But if your government is deeply in debt and heavily leveraged by promised pensions that it has no way to pay, especially with a shrinking population that decreases the tax base, and especially with an economy that has ranged between deflationary and flat for three decades, it is a problem.

A shrinking population is NOT a serious problem -- unless you want it to be.

Its a serious problem regardless of whether you want it to be or not. Its not just about pensions and taxes, its about what living in a country where the elderly far outnumber the young is going to be like, particularly for those young people. The major downsides are not outweighed by whatever benefits might go along with it.