Immigration debate

thomas · 15 Sep 2004

Yesterday, the Japan Times featured two interesting views on immigration to Japan: one by Barry Brophy who argued that Japan is not ready yet for what he calls "replacement migration":

The government, even at a time when it moots replacement migration as a possible answer to the aging issue, aggressively seeks to marginalize the existing foreign population, from running absurd campaigns against foreign crime to refusing to enact even the most basic of human rights legislation for foreigners. If Japan is to seriously consider increasing immigration, then it must also be serious about creating a social and legal framework that allows for the successful long-term integration of immigrants into society. There is none at present.

Arudou Debito, on the other hand, maintains that more migration to Japan is inevitable:

It may be hard to envision Japan as an "international society," but that is precisely what is happening. The number of registered foreigners (those here on three-month visas and up) will probably top two million this year -- yet another record. International marriages number around 40,000 couples per year, up by a third from just five years ago. [...]

Demographics aside, foreigners are now an intrinsic part of the economy. To ameliorate Japan's corporate "hollowing out" from outsourcing abroad, the government in 1990 created visas to bring in cheap foreign workers as "trainees" etc, i.e. people who would work for half minimum wage and few welfare benefits.Result: 250,000 South American laborers have suddenly become Japan's third-largest foreign minority -- their population percentage in some areas reaching double digits.

Fact is, Japan needs foreigners. And they will come.

Might sound like a threat to some. Read the full article here.

bossel · 15 Sep 2004

Incidentally, I watched a documentary some days ago with the same topic: Japan is not yet willing to see the inevitability of immigration.

I think, both the above views are right. Japanese politicians (& parts of the population) may not like it, but Japan will have (& needs) more immigrants. Sooner or later the policy has to change to meet the realities.

thomas · 15 Sep 2004

bossel said:
Sooner or later the policy has to change to meet the realities.

I believe so too. Demographic and economic necessities will eventually leave no other options.

A UN report on replacement migration and declining birth rates estimates that if present trends continue, Japan's population will have declined by 22 million in 2050. To fill the gap completely through immigration, the nation would have to welcome an average of 381,000 foreign workers per year all the way to 2050. [...]

Is this economically and politically feasible? Those who think not are already casting about for alternatives. A demographic sea change which some argue is an economic necessity would mean that the immigrant population of Japan would swell from around 1 percent now to 17.7 percent by the middle of this century.

Of the nearly 2 million foreigners in Japan now, over half are Korean and Chinese, many of whom live in long established communities. Of the other million, over 300,000 are recently arrived Brazilians and Peruvians.

Source

Hachiko · 18 Sep 2004

Japan and the immigration issue

This is not an essay arguing the merits of immigration. It would be like arguing for or against the sunrise. Simply put, migration to Japan is inevitable.
It may be hard to envision Japan as an "international society," but that is precisely what is happening. The number of registered foreigners (those here on three-month visas and up) will probably top two million this year -- yet another record. International marriages number around 40,000 couples per year, up by a third from just five years ago.

Japan Times

Mike Cash · 18 Sep 2004

This habit has gone beyond irritating and is fast approaching maddening.

PaulTB · 18 Sep 2004

mikecash said:
This habit has gone beyond irritating and is fast approaching maddening.

I can think of worse.

Take a chill pill dude. ←死語

(Of course it helps that I don't usually frequent the affected sub-forums).

Hachiko said:
Japan Times

So what do YOU think? ☝

Wang · 18 Sep 2004

If this is at some point necessary then I think getting only (by far the biggest majority) of immigrants from other North East Asian countries is the best, because they can integrate the best and they don't stick out. In this way Japan will stay East Asian and Oriental.

DoctorP · 18 Sep 2004

Japan has a fertility rate of 1.3 and an overall growth rate of 0.8%. All the government needs to do is raise the fertility rate to around 2.0 to maintain the population that they have now.

Mike Cash · 18 Sep 2004

PaulTB said:
I can think of worse.

Take a chill pill dude. ←死語

(Of course it helps that I don't usually frequent the affected sub-forums).

So what do YOU think? ☝

I'm thinking I need to read the FAQ and see how to make use of the "Ignore" feature.

As far as the immigration thingy goes, I think that Japan isn't averse to bringing people in, just so long as they can maintain at least a pretense of the people coming in having Japanese roots. The presence of thousands upon thousands of South Americans of (often dubious) Japanese ancestry shows that Japan is willing to bring people in to do manual/menial/repetetive labor.

Unfortunately, many of these jobs are ones that have gone begging because they are ones Japanese youth who grew up in the bubble era turn their noses up at. Another problem is the number of jobs disappearing because of production being shifted to overseas locations (空洞化).

If it came down to opening the country up to massive immigration just to prop up the economy and make up for the increasing top heaviness of the age brackets.....I think most Japanese would prefer to let the country slide on down into third world status, so long as they can maintain Japan of the Japanese, by the Japanese, and for the Japanese.

cicatriz esp · 18 Sep 2004

Wang said:
If this is at some point necessary then I think getting only (by far the biggest majority) of immigrants from other North East Asian countries is the best, because they can integrate the best and they don't stick out. In this way Japan will stay East Asian and Oriental.

Because having everyone look the same is the only way to go!

I dont think there's a better way to anger Japanese people than to tell them that there's no difference between them and Koreans, Chinese, Filipinos, etc.

On a side note, why is there no rolling eyes smily?

PaulTB · 18 Sep 2004

mikecash said:
I'm thinking I need to read the FAQ and see how to make use of the "Ignore" feature.

Actually that was aimed at Hachiko but the 'new improved' forum doesn't allow two posts in a row but merges them whether you're quoting two different people or not.

Wang · 18 Sep 2004

cicatriz esp said:
Because having everyone look the same is the only way to go!

I dont think there's a better way to anger Japanese people than to tell them that there's no difference between them and Koreans, Chinese, Filipinos, etc.

On a side note, why is there no rolling eyes smily?

I never said there was no difference between Japanese people and other North East Asians. However there are much less differences between Japanese and other North East Asians then between Japanese and people from other regions (Non East Asians).

PaulTB · 18 Sep 2004

cicatriz esp said:
On a side note, why is there no rolling eyes smily?

:rolleyes:

Immigration debate

thomas

Unswerving cyclist

bossel

後輩

thomas

Unswerving cyclist

Hachiko

後輩

Mike Cash

骨も命も皆此の土地に埋めよう

PaulTB

Manga Psychic

Wang

先輩

DoctorP

先輩

Mike Cash

骨も命も皆此の土地に埋めよう

cicatriz esp

後輩

PaulTB

Manga Psychic

Wang

先輩

PaulTB

Manga Psychic

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