- Reiji Yoshida’s piece on immigration as a possible solution for Japan’s aging and shrinking population brought up a lot of great points that offer a good case of observation for the US. This topic is a very divisive point in US society and according to the article, it seems to somewhat of a divisive point in Japan as well. Some of the perspectives that are pro-immigration were very refreshing. For instance, a reporter in the Foreign press center noted the reciprocity in migration as he noted that the Japanese have migrated while retaining a strong Japanese identity, and he notes that Japan should be open to foreigner as other countries have allowed Japanese citizens in their country. There also seems to be a recognition on the economic benefits of immigration, and although these points have also been made in the US, they have not been as widely accepted here. It seems that given Japan’s demographic patterns, they will have to do something to address the looming issues that come with a shrinking/aging population, and it seems that immigration might be the answer. If this is the case, it will be interesting to see what policies will be implemented and what effects these will have on Japanese society.
edited by nramon on 8/3/2016
Anonymous