It's a feature for sure. I really am not blaming japan for something that most countries (especially non-americas) have ingrained in their culture. These days,

It's a feature for sure. I really am not blaming japan for something that most countries (especially non-americas) have ingrained in their culture. These days, my country Germany, however much it would like to See itself as immigration-friendly as the US, is experiencing exactly that cultural gene which is somewhat allergic to heterogenity. But from an economical standpoint, it doesn't make much sense to stay "cut off". It never did in history. That's why even the other homogenity-friendly countries periodically had to ease their grip. And because of economics, if the japanese really care about their nation's idntity and culture, they should make sure that their Numbers of growthless years do not climb too much higher than that of the other Nations. Because at some point even the nicest, Most harmonic society will crumble if some foreign spring break tourist can bend any rule because he can buy anything and anybody because of the decades-Long incompetitiveness. If you're looking for examples of this, I'd say "colonializm", "imperialism" or with regards to japan "convention of kanagawa" or "sakoku". At some point non-growth will become harmful to what you try to save by avoiding growth: culture, norms, national identity or Even the nation itself.