Japan Needs More Labour. Is Immigration the Answer?

25 comments

1. Some Japanese people seriously think that “robot friends” is the answer.
   Even ordinary TV news introduces stories that nursing care robots may solve the problem of the declining birthrate and aging population.

2. “These policies reflect Japan’s long-standing pattern of retaining its postwar identity as an ethnically and culturally homogenous nation”

   at a certain point you just need to move on and start mocking them

   I also never really thought about how the Empire years were, at-least on a legal level, much more of a multi-ethnic identity. I think Koreans and Taiwanese were actually given citizenship. So much for the “Japan has always been this way” argument

3. Culturally they will not accept this en masse.

4. if inmigration takes over. will japan even be japan anymore?

5. Even if Japan suddenly opens up to foreign immigrants who wants to work for crappy Japanese wages on top of a super weak yen? Historically immigrants go to countries where the wages is *higher* and the currency is *stronger*

6. Immigration is not the answer because the more random people show up, the less Japan will be Japan. They ought to fix this on their own, rather than become the diversity-hire wasteland that the US is.

7. Not until they pay good wages. No one is going to go to Japan just to get paid $50K USD when you can do the same job for $150K in the US.

8. One solution could be to pay women to have children. Like the welfare system in the US. $500 per month per child.

9. Why not just make the existing population poorer with inflation thus forcing all the unemployed/underemployed people (2.6%) into work? Don’t need robots or immigrants at all.

   Same issue in many developed countries, way too many not working.

10. prices increasing. wages are stagnant.

11. Immigration didn’t work for Sweden. Would work even less here. Good wages, better work culture and technological advancements to sustain a shrinking population is the answer.

12. Japan’s corporations have already decided that foreign labour is the answer. Toyota has brought in low-paid Indian workers in the 1000’s to work in their factories. It’s just not as immigrants but as guest workers who will be expected to go back home at the end of contract.

13. Japan is crying out for more automation / robots. Even without, more efficiency overall would solve a lot of issues.

    Just yesterday I was walking through a mall and passed multiple information desks staffed with 1-3 people each who looked bored out of their minds. Just in this there were at least 10 people who could be doing a more productive(and rewarding) job in my opinion. I think this is the case across the economy.

14. We have to make a distinction between “immigration” with the intent to stay and “guest workers” who are in Japan temporarily.

    Japan has a robust program for guest workers which meets the need for labour. Many workers in factories and convenience stores are foreign guest workers. Foreign workers is prevalent across USA and Europe as well. The risk in when the source countries become middle class or have declining birth rates of their own, where will the next group of guest workers come from?

    Immigration to Japan is not easy. It requires living in the country for a period of time, being fluent in Japanese and being of good character. Japan really wants to make sure that immigrants can integrate into Japanese society instead of being a huge melting pot of diversity.

15. Among countries surveyed, Japanese people are [least likely to want less immigration](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/FT_18.12.07_GlobalViewsMigration_around-world-few-immigration3.png) and have [more positive views about immigration than the US](https://www.pewresearch.org/global/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2019/03/PGMD_2019-03-14_Global-Migration-Attitudes_0-01.png?w=443) (only beaten by UK and Canada). A major difference is that they’re more likely [to think people immigrating want to adapt](https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2019/03/14/around-the-world-more-say-immigrants-are-a-strength-than-a-burden/pgmd_2019-03-14_global-migration-attitudes_0-05/).

    The solution is to increase immigration (which has been happening for many years) as well as become better at receiving immigration. Miscalculations that cause trouble are likely to cause setbacks, so they need to balance caution with speed.

16. Eh who cares? The Japanese don’t want to have babies, nor do they want immigration, leave them alone. If the Japanese start dwindling out and become extinct in the centuries to come, it will be their choosing, who gives a damn. Extinction is not a new concept on this Earth.

17. I think one thing they can do is to allow dual citizenship after the age of 18 for children of immigrants.

18. I would suggest taking in people more close in culture, values to the native population. Don’t do what Europe did.

19. Jive-talking robots!

20. it’s up to the Japanese government and the Japanese people to decide if they want more immigration or not, not to people from other countries

    why are people from other countries even debating it

21. Japan solution would be just to get more efficient if anything.

22. yes, but also not the only answer

23. Uh, prolly, yeah.

    Unless they want to go at it the American way, and re-introduce child labour?

24. Don’t do it Japan, from an Australian

25. No, importing workers would just hurt the country over all imo