Japan's demographic crisis

[Charles Jannuzi]

With a deflating economy, this seems to be the least of their worries right
now. Really, there does seem to be--how should I say it--glee? in the
western press about Japan's various crises.

There now around 2,000,000 legal internationals residing in Japan. Add at
least a couple hundred thousand if you count illegal. Subtract around a half
million who are really Japanized N. Koreans.

If you take the male population 18-30 of Japanese, unemployment is 2-3 times
the reported rates. Some of these guys are getting pretty scary. I wish I
had an Asian face instead of a S. Italian one when I meet up with them.

No one here feels they need immigrants, except those who run factories or
services in places where they can't get enough cheap labor.

I would expect, in the next 20 years, more and more Chinese to find a home
in Japan. Many already are. Everyone thinks they adapt far better here than
most other groups.

Charles Jannuzi