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A good example I like to use about how much they are intentionally cultivating these values is to compare the requirements for becoming a citizen vs getting per

A good example I like to use about how much they are intentionally cultivating these values is to compare the requirements for becoming a citizen vs getting permanent residency: Citizenship gives you full rights. You can vote, you can’t be deported from the country, you are a Japanese citizen. To qualify for this you need to live and work in the country for five years. Permanent residency is like citizenship but not as many rights. You don’t necessarily need a job to stay in the country, we promise not to kick you out…unless you do something blatantly anti-social (crime). To qualify for these reduced rights takes…ten years. Twice as long as citizenship would. But part of the deal with citizenship is you renounce your other nationalities and really commit to becoming Japanese. The government will send a representative to inspect your life; your apartment and social circle, and make sure you are sufficiently integrated. But if you’re willing to commit to Japan, they’re willing to have you after just five years. But if you’ve been living there for years and still don’t want to commit to the community, they will begrudgingly give you PR, but they’ll make you wait twice as long in protest. It’s a tough system, but it’s incredibly effective at protecting their cultural values that enables things like Tokyo to exist. For what it’s worth, while I’ve experienced my fair share of racism there, I’ve also been embraced far more than I’ve been rejected. I remember eating at the Michelin 3-star sushi restaurant of a famous chef who became infamous for how he was treating/refusing to serve some foreigners. Just getting a reservation as a foreigner was insanity. But when I showed up (in a new suit, no less) and spoke with him, he kept us by the bar chatting with him all night. He just struggled dealing with non-culturally Japanese people come in, not understand what he was trying to do, and destroying the atmosphere he was dedicating his life to creating. I knew the rules, and he was an incredibly gracious host to me and my guest as a result. Japan is far more xenophobic than it is racist, but they’re more so xenophilic once you get a drink into them ;)

aikinai 5y ago
You can now get permanent residency in one year if you have 80 points on the immigration point table.
- rablackburn 5y ago
  Yes, the "if you're very rich, young, and have a particularly valuable skill" loophole. Every society makes its exceptions ;)
  - filoleg 5y ago
    I decided to look up out of curiosity, and found the official table describing the point system[0]. And to be honest, it is way more liberal compared to how point systems or immigration in general work in western countries. Just by earning a typical "barely above entry level FAANG salary", you already got 50 out of 80 points necessary. If you got a bachelor's degree and 5 years of experience, that's another 20 points. The rest can be satisfied by age (5 points for under 40, 10 points for under 35), passing N1 level language exam (15 points), and the list goes on with tons of other ways to get those remaining points. Seems pretty reasonable and deterministic, no H1B lottery gambling or waiting in queues and hoping you aren't getting kicked out in the next few years when your OPT extension from F1 expires. Mind you, I am not trying to roast US with this, because US system isn't particularly bad at all if you look at how difficult it is for someone outside of EU to immigrate to one of those countries. And of course I am not saying that Japan did something amazing that makes immigration universally accessible. None of the developed countries have that. But out of all of them, Japan seems to have a pretty reasonable one for professionals, and that's a recent development too. 0. https://www.lb.emb-japan.go.jp/Points-Based-Immigration-Treatment.PDF https://www.lb.emb-japan.go.jp/Points-Based-Immigration-Trea...
    - kalleboo 5y ago
      Also if you don't care about permanent residency, Japan will give pretty much anyone with a degree and a job offer a working visa. And working visas aren't tied to an employer, you're free to change jobs, so unless you want to work freelance without a sponsoring employer, PR isn't super important. The lack of skilled immigration to Japan has nothing to do with strict immigration law. The fact of the matter is simply that Japan is not an attractive job market for skilled professionals. Salary is low, the language barrier is high, and the work environment is notoriously poor.
mikkyang 5y ago
Permanent residency has been increasingly easy to get in the past few years, and can be had in significantly less time than citizenship. One year of residency is enough if you’re young enough and make enough money. Three years if you just miss those standards, or if you’re married (I think).
- rablackburn 5y ago
  > if you're young enough and make enough money I'm a little facetious about this because I find it a little galling that the solution is "but if you're rich, it's okay". Yep, everything is much smoother when you have money. I'd sure enjoy it more haha. But yes, it is becoming much easier over time compared to the old system.

aikinai 5y ago

You can now get permanent residency in one year if you have 80 points on the immigration point table.

rablackburn 5y ago
Yes, the "if you're very rich, young, and have a particularly valuable skill" loophole. Every society makes its exceptions ;)
- filoleg 5y ago
  I decided to look up out of curiosity, and found the official table describing the point system[0]. And to be honest, it is way more liberal compared to how point systems or immigration in general work in western countries. Just by earning a typical "barely above entry level FAANG salary", you already got 50 out of 80 points necessary. If you got a bachelor's degree and 5 years of experience, that's another 20 points. The rest can be satisfied by age (5 points for under 40, 10 points for under 35), passing N1 level language exam (15 points), and the list goes on with tons of other ways to get those remaining points. Seems pretty reasonable and deterministic, no H1B lottery gambling or waiting in queues and hoping you aren't getting kicked out in the next few years when your OPT extension from F1 expires. Mind you, I am not trying to roast US with this, because US system isn't particularly bad at all if you look at how difficult it is for someone outside of EU to immigrate to one of those countries. And of course I am not saying that Japan did something amazing that makes immigration universally accessible. None of the developed countries have that. But out of all of them, Japan seems to have a pretty reasonable one for professionals, and that's a recent development too. 0. https://www.lb.emb-japan.go.jp/Points-Based-Immigration-Treatment.PDF https://www.lb.emb-japan.go.jp/Points-Based-Immigration-Trea...
  - kalleboo 5y ago
    Also if you don't care about permanent residency, Japan will give pretty much anyone with a degree and a job offer a working visa. And working visas aren't tied to an employer, you're free to change jobs, so unless you want to work freelance without a sponsoring employer, PR isn't super important. The lack of skilled immigration to Japan has nothing to do with strict immigration law. The fact of the matter is simply that Japan is not an attractive job market for skilled professionals. Salary is low, the language barrier is high, and the work environment is notoriously poor.

mikkyang 5y ago

Permanent residency has been increasingly easy to get in the past few years, and can be had in significantly less time than citizenship. One year of residency is enough if you’re young enough and make enough money. Three years if you just miss those standards, or if you’re married (I think).

rablackburn 5y ago
> if you're young enough and make enough money I'm a little facetious about this because I find it a little galling that the solution is "but if you're rich, it's okay". Yep, everything is much smoother when you have money. I'd sure enjoy it more haha. But yes, it is becoming much easier over time compared to the old system.