Washington Post Takes Japan To Task On Immigration

[Mulboyne]

WaPo: Japanese Are Loath To Rebuild Workforce Through Immigration
When threatened by soaring oil prices in the 1970s, Japan's response was swift, smart and successful...Now Japan faces a much more fundamental threat to its future -- demographic decline that experts say will delete 70 percent of its workforce by 2050. Yet the all-hands-on-deck response that quelled the oil shock is conspicuously missing..."Unfortunately, the people do not share a sense of crisis," said Masakazu Toyoda, a vice minister at the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. "Yes, we deserve some kind of criticism". Inside the government, there is growing agreement that Japan can head off disastrous population decline by significantly increasing immigration...Yet there is little or no political will here to persuade or prepare the public to accept a sizable influx of foreigners. Based on a round of interviews with Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda and several other senior government officials and politicians, the issue is too politically toxic for extensive public discussion. "We need to work out policy in order to actively accept increasing numbers of immigrants," Fukuda said...But as soon he explained the need for immigrants, Fukuda...said he had to remain cautious on the issue. "There are people who say that if we accept more immigrants, crime will increase," Fukuda said. "Any sudden increase in immigrants causing social chaos [and] social unrest is a result that we must avoid by all means"...more...

[Kuang_Grade]

Wow, that's a great tie in with the 70's oil crunch....nothing like compairing a problem a few decades out vs. something that happened effectively overnight 35 years ago...The people who remember the latter will be dead by the time the former becomes an issue and those who might be around for the former have no idea what happened during the latter.

[Takechanpoo]

If one political party seriously try carrying out the huge influx of immigrants, it will lose at the next election. Almost all of Japanese nationals illogically have strong allergies against any immigration policy. (Personally I welcome the influx of immigrants, espeically white or caucasian female ones, though) "Evil" immigrants Japanese nationals regard as are south ratin American, Korean and Chinese. Especially Chinese, as you know. They unreasonably believe if seriously pushing immigration policy, huge amount of Chinese will flow into Japanese society and Japanese be exterminated ruthlessly as Procambarus clarkii, Black Bass or Bluegill have ever done against native species.

[Iraira]

Wow, that's a great tie in with the 70's oil crunch....nothing like compairing a problem a few decades out vs. something that happened effectively overnight 35 years ago...The people who remember the latter will be dead by the time the former becomes an issue and those who might be around for the former have no idea what happened during the latter.

You're right, and thanks for the LSD trip.