https://www.newsweek.com/japan-makes-qu ... on-1917429
Japan Makes Quiet Shift on Immigration to Save Population
Published Jun 26, 2024 at 7:43 AM EDT
By Micah McCartney
China News Reporter
Japan is increasingly turning to foreigners to fill gaps in its labor force as a population crunch looms.
In 2022, individuals over the age of 65 made up 30 percent of Japan's population. The country, considered a "super-aged" society, is also facing a low fertility rate, with the number of children a Japanese woman is expected to have in her lifetime falling to 1.2 last year.
These demographic shifts have raised concerns over the long-term viability of the world's fourth-largest economy. Despite various policy efforts, none has been notably successful, making immigration a necessary solution.
Earlier this month, Japan's parliament enacted updated laws to make it easier for foreign workers to stay longer and to grant inexperienced workers three years to develop their skills. Under certain conditions, workers can change jobs within the same industry after one year, provided they meet professional and language requirements.
The revisions follow efforts by Tokyo to make foreign workers in more industries eligible for a visa that allows five years of residence in Japan and another visa that grants permanent residency and permits family members to live with them.
Since 2013, the number of foreign workers in Japan has set records annually, reaching 2.05 million in October, a rise of more than 40 percent since 2018, Nikkei Asia reported. At 25 percent, Vietnamese nationals make up the largest share of foreign workers, followed by mainland Chinese (19 percent) and Filipinos (11 percent).
Still, Japan will need more than three times this number by 2040 to meet its economic growth targets, the government's Japan International Cooperation Agency projected.
Japan's demand for foreign labor is especially high in sectors that young Japanese are less inclined to work in, such as construction, manufacturing, agriculture and elder care. However, long hours, controversies over unpaid wages and tight restrictions on changing employers have prompted many foreign workers to leave their jobs.
Japanese construction workers using an excavator in Kanazawa, Japan, on September 25, 2019. Construction in Japan is one sector where foreign workers play an increasingly important role. RUBEN RAMOS/GETTY IMAGES
Japan's demand for labor may have risen faster than the public's acceptance of the increasing number of foreigners.
A 2019 Nikkei survey found that 50 percent of respondents acknowledged that an increase in foreigners was necessary but said they didn't like it. Another 31 percent said the country "should actively accept" foreign workers.
Japan also faces competition from its neighbors, which have even lower fertility rates and aging workforces.
South Korea and Taiwan, in particular, likewise depend heavily on Southeast Asian labor, but they have faced criticism over restrictive labor laws and allegations of exploiting migrant workers' rights.
日本不得不加快吸收移民
此博文来自论坛版块：军事天地（Military）
我也懒得跟你争了
日本必须刺激企业人口向小城市流动。
中国其实也一样
而且其中绝大多数是老弱病残
目前中国比日本发达很明显，导致即使拿到移民也不会入籍日本。
赶紧废了日语吧
其次是中国，
再其次是越南
再其次是东南亚非穆斯林国家，
也就是只限于他们认为容易同化的
对于穆斯林和黑人还是坚决抵制