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I think it's about time their government stopped perpetuating their desire for ethnic purity and start letting some skilled workers in. I can name about every f

I think it's about time their government stopped perpetuating their desire for ethnic purity and start letting some skilled workers in. I can name about every friend on my fingers that wants to live over there instead of the cutthroat, poorly run USA. And these are people learning the language, too.

solarhoma 4y ago
What is the government doing to create a desire within the population to start a family and have children?
- kadomony 4y ago
  It's a complex mess of lots of factors. Economically, the CPI is extremely resistant to change over there. Companies apologize for raising prices by even a few pennies. Nationally controlled zoning practices keep residential buildings high in supply, and they're not treated as investments like a home in the US is, so a house will become worth nearly nothing in 30 years' time. Obviously, there are pros and cons to this. Cheap housing, but no transfer of wealth to later generations through housing. Even if your parents die, the estate they leave you is subject to a death tax, so you lose even more of what wealth they might have built for you. I think the biggest factor to do with the decrease in birth rates is that school and work are so demanding over there. People can't relax well enough unless they find themselves in the graceful employment of western-style companies. Not everyone is a salaryman, but enough that it makes family life challenging. Aside from that, you've also got the brain drain of urbanization, where most rural villages are outright dying as people migrate to Tokyo/Osaka/Kyoto/Fukuoka. All this said, I'd still live there in a heartbeat. You will never live in a more affordable, safe, convenient city as Tokyo. No other city even comes close.
  - orangepurple 4y ago
    > I'd still live there in a heartbeat Do you live there? Why not?
    - kadomony 4y ago
      It's funny and a bit of a sore subject that you ask. I'm currently waiting on a final offer and COE (for a visa) from a startup founder in Nagano whose company might be imploding right now. I've learned the language, and I have the skills (product design) to live there, but it's very hard to break in unless you're already over there. Many people will take a crap English teaching job to land there and then interview on that visa to land a job in their desired sector, but knowing the language is crucial. This kind of visa abuse is also highly frowned upon. So, who knows. I might still end up where I want to work in time, but right now it's been crickets between emails with the founder.
  - solarhoma 4y ago
    Thank you for writing this out. I was not aware of these issues including the housing depreciation. My mind first jumps to incorporating a more euro centric style of living with six weeks minimum time off in full time positions. But, we see how that is working for the birth rate in those countries.
melling 4y ago
In general, don’t we want the global population to fall a bit? 8-10 billion people are taxing the planet. Climate change, plastic use that ends up everywhere, …
- karanbhangui 4y ago
  No, overpopulation is a myth.
  - oblak 4y ago
    It really isn't unless looking at the world through the eyes of a "everything exists to be consumed by humans, preferably me and my family/friends" entity. Shortcut to dystopia, this.
    - blamazon 4y ago
      https://alt.pavethe.earth/ https://alt.pavethe.earth/
      - oblak 4y ago
        Yeah, I know at least a handful of people who would take every last bit of this at face value. Even early gems like "The world must be covered with beautiful, black asphalt." and "1.2 Why asphalt? Simply put, everything else sucks." would not throw them off. Just last week, I was told that if we were to place the entire human population next to each other, we would take this and this insignificant space on just one continent. Apparently, overpopulation is a myth perpetuated by a shadowy group championed by Bill Gates himself, and they are the ones responsible for my disagreement with the fact that "they" (said group of global elite) are trying to reduce the population in order to control the world.
    - karanbhangui 4y ago
      Yes this exactly, but also produce. Remember, production comes first, stuff we want doesn’t (mostly) grow on trees.
- 4y ago
quartesixte 4y ago
>cutthroat, poorly run USA. Japan is many things. Not cutthroat is not among those things.
- eatonphil 4y ago
  They're probably referring to healthcare in Japan. School and business culture is probably fairer and less sexist in the US than in Japan. Korea is similar too. Birthrate is declining. Immigration is kept very low; ethnic identity is important. Healthcare is way better than the US. And school and business culture are cutthroat and pretty sexist.
  - kadomony 4y ago
    Correct, my apologies for not fully articulating. USA is extremely centered on "let the individual bear the burden", not "how can our society rise to the occasion". Sure, we have a better choice of who we see and when as it comes to doctors, but you're also footing the cost more for that privilege.
    - watwut 4y ago
      I am 100% convinced you can have a choice of doctor and also cheaper healthcare. Things like price transparency in advance would already cheapen a lot. Also, I am not sure I would be able to argue that in Germany you have harder time to choose who to see.
      - quartesixte 4y ago
        Absolutely. You can walk into any medical clinic without having to check networks or get referrals. Procedures are relatively affordable and there is enough supply of local doctors (which from my observation seem to be a lot of doctors who got tired of the hospital grind and “retired”) where small ailments get looked at quickly and affordably. The only mind-boggling thing about their system is that hospitals close on the weekends. Like…???????
    - 4y ago
stuxnet79 4y ago
Part of the reason the USA is cutthroat and poorly run is because of how heterogeneous the population is and the frontier mindset that comes with that. Importing immigrants en masse is likely to cause a lot of social instability and isn't a decision that should be taken lightly. Think about it, all the hallmarks of Japanese society, tradition, respect, how will those survive if there's a relentless onslaught of foreigners who do not understand or believe in those values. Part of what made Japan was their ability to guard themselves from foreign encroachment and only incorporate elements of western culture that worked for them.
- kadomony 4y ago
  I'm not talking about turning Japan into a bastion of liberty like the US with "give me your poor, your tired, your weak". I'm talking about skilled workers that are willing to assimilate. I haven't taught myself Japanese for nothing. I'm not going to go over there and turn it into Texas.
  - MLR 4y ago
    As far as I'm aware Japanese immigration policy for skilled workers is relatively lenient, it's just not generally considered an attractive place to migrate to from places that generate a lot of migrants.
    - kadomony 4y ago
      It's lenient for certain sectors--programming, engineering. Niche STEM stuff where English is expected as the uniting language. But for anything else, it can be very difficult to move there. But that leniency only comes into effect when you prove without question that it's near impossible to source local talent to fill a job, and the Japanese are extremely educated, so you're usually going to find companies will hire domestically before gambling on someone from the west who's used to superior salaries in USD. Even if you're the world's best, your salary will drop to about 1/2 or 1/3 of what you can make in the US.
- watwut 4y ago
twofornone 4y ago
>and start letting some skilled workers in Why is third world brain drain the only palatable solution to population decline? What about programs that encourage native reproduction?
- random314 4y ago
  > third world brain drain > native reproduction You really are a piece of work!
- kadomony 4y ago
  I'm not saying it's the only solution. This is an interim improvement that helps their country in the short-term while giving foreigners a nicer place to migrate and assimilate into. Obviously, this problem is more systemic than what immigration outright fixes. As to what steps are needed to rectify it, I couldn't say, nor would I dare to as a third party gaijin.
deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
pm90 4y ago
Indeed. Japan has amazing urban culture, people and food. Language is definitely a barrier. But the lack of options for long term settlement certainly pushes away all but the most hardcore immigrants.
deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
crate_barre 4y ago

solarhoma 4y ago

What is the government doing to create a desire within the population to start a family and have children?

kadomony 4y ago
It's a complex mess of lots of factors. Economically, the CPI is extremely resistant to change over there. Companies apologize for raising prices by even a few pennies. Nationally controlled zoning practices keep residential buildings high in supply, and they're not treated as investments like a home in the US is, so a house will become worth nearly nothing in 30 years' time. Obviously, there are pros and cons to this. Cheap housing, but no transfer of wealth to later generations through housing. Even if your parents die, the estate they leave you is subject to a death tax, so you lose even more of what wealth they might have built for you. I think the biggest factor to do with the decrease in birth rates is that school and work are so demanding over there. People can't relax well enough unless they find themselves in the graceful employment of western-style companies. Not everyone is a salaryman, but enough that it makes family life challenging. Aside from that, you've also got the brain drain of urbanization, where most rural villages are outright dying as people migrate to Tokyo/Osaka/Kyoto/Fukuoka. All this said, I'd still live there in a heartbeat. You will never live in a more affordable, safe, convenient city as Tokyo. No other city even comes close.
- orangepurple 4y ago
  > I'd still live there in a heartbeat Do you live there? Why not?
  - kadomony 4y ago
    It's funny and a bit of a sore subject that you ask. I'm currently waiting on a final offer and COE (for a visa) from a startup founder in Nagano whose company might be imploding right now. I've learned the language, and I have the skills (product design) to live there, but it's very hard to break in unless you're already over there. Many people will take a crap English teaching job to land there and then interview on that visa to land a job in their desired sector, but knowing the language is crucial. This kind of visa abuse is also highly frowned upon. So, who knows. I might still end up where I want to work in time, but right now it's been crickets between emails with the founder.
- solarhoma 4y ago
  Thank you for writing this out. I was not aware of these issues including the housing depreciation. My mind first jumps to incorporating a more euro centric style of living with six weeks minimum time off in full time positions. But, we see how that is working for the birth rate in those countries.

melling 4y ago

In general, don’t we want the global population to fall a bit? 8-10 billion people are taxing the planet. Climate change, plastic use that ends up everywhere, …

karanbhangui 4y ago
No, overpopulation is a myth.
- oblak 4y ago
  It really isn't unless looking at the world through the eyes of a "everything exists to be consumed by humans, preferably me and my family/friends" entity. Shortcut to dystopia, this.
  - blamazon 4y ago
    https://alt.pavethe.earth/ https://alt.pavethe.earth/
    - oblak 4y ago
      Yeah, I know at least a handful of people who would take every last bit of this at face value. Even early gems like "The world must be covered with beautiful, black asphalt." and "1.2 Why asphalt? Simply put, everything else sucks." would not throw them off. Just last week, I was told that if we were to place the entire human population next to each other, we would take this and this insignificant space on just one continent. Apparently, overpopulation is a myth perpetuated by a shadowy group championed by Bill Gates himself, and they are the ones responsible for my disagreement with the fact that "they" (said group of global elite) are trying to reduce the population in order to control the world.
  - karanbhangui 4y ago
    Yes this exactly, but also produce. Remember, production comes first, stuff we want doesn’t (mostly) grow on trees.
4y ago

quartesixte 4y ago

>cutthroat, poorly run USA. Japan is many things. Not cutthroat is not among those things.

eatonphil 4y ago
They're probably referring to healthcare in Japan. School and business culture is probably fairer and less sexist in the US than in Japan. Korea is similar too. Birthrate is declining. Immigration is kept very low; ethnic identity is important. Healthcare is way better than the US. And school and business culture are cutthroat and pretty sexist.
- kadomony 4y ago
  Correct, my apologies for not fully articulating. USA is extremely centered on "let the individual bear the burden", not "how can our society rise to the occasion". Sure, we have a better choice of who we see and when as it comes to doctors, but you're also footing the cost more for that privilege.
  - watwut 4y ago
    I am 100% convinced you can have a choice of doctor and also cheaper healthcare. Things like price transparency in advance would already cheapen a lot. Also, I am not sure I would be able to argue that in Germany you have harder time to choose who to see.
    - quartesixte 4y ago
      Absolutely. You can walk into any medical clinic without having to check networks or get referrals. Procedures are relatively affordable and there is enough supply of local doctors (which from my observation seem to be a lot of doctors who got tired of the hospital grind and “retired”) where small ailments get looked at quickly and affordably. The only mind-boggling thing about their system is that hospitals close on the weekends. Like…???????
  - 4y ago

stuxnet79 4y ago

Part of the reason the USA is cutthroat and poorly run is because of how heterogeneous the population is and the frontier mindset that comes with that. Importing immigrants en masse is likely to cause a lot of social instability and isn't a decision that should be taken lightly. Think about it, all the hallmarks of Japanese society, tradition, respect, how will those survive if there's a relentless onslaught of foreigners who do not understand or believe in those values. Part of what made Japan was their ability to guard themselves from foreign encroachment and only incorporate elements of western culture that worked for them.

kadomony 4y ago
I'm not talking about turning Japan into a bastion of liberty like the US with "give me your poor, your tired, your weak". I'm talking about skilled workers that are willing to assimilate. I haven't taught myself Japanese for nothing. I'm not going to go over there and turn it into Texas.
- MLR 4y ago
  As far as I'm aware Japanese immigration policy for skilled workers is relatively lenient, it's just not generally considered an attractive place to migrate to from places that generate a lot of migrants.
  - kadomony 4y ago
    It's lenient for certain sectors--programming, engineering. Niche STEM stuff where English is expected as the uniting language. But for anything else, it can be very difficult to move there. But that leniency only comes into effect when you prove without question that it's near impossible to source local talent to fill a job, and the Japanese are extremely educated, so you're usually going to find companies will hire domestically before gambling on someone from the west who's used to superior salaries in USD. Even if you're the world's best, your salary will drop to about 1/2 or 1/3 of what you can make in the US.
watwut 4y ago

twofornone 4y ago

>and start letting some skilled workers in Why is third world brain drain the only palatable solution to population decline? What about programs that encourage native reproduction?

random314 4y ago
> third world brain drain > native reproduction You really are a piece of work!
kadomony 4y ago
I'm not saying it's the only solution. This is an interim improvement that helps their country in the short-term while giving foreigners a nicer place to migrate and assimilate into. Obviously, this problem is more systemic than what immigration outright fixes. As to what steps are needed to rectify it, I couldn't say, nor would I dare to as a third party gaijin.

deleted 4y ago

[deleted]

pm90 4y ago

Indeed. Japan has amazing urban culture, people and food. Language is definitely a barrier. But the lack of options for long term settlement certainly pushes away all but the most hardcore immigrants.

deleted 4y ago

[deleted]

crate_barre 4y ago