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Japan wrestles with its views on ‘outside people’ amid population crisis (www.theguardian.com)
submitted 3 years ago by to c/worldnews@lemmy.ml
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Low birthrate and ageing population pose ‘an urgent risk to society’, but can opening its borders to skilled overseas workers fix the problem?

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[–] 17 points 3 years ago (5 children)

The problem is that you still need a productive group of people to fund and care for retirees. Japan has the ability to absorb millions in its rural towns. It just doesn't.

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  • [–] 11 points 3 years ago (2 children)

    It's not as easy as absorbing people into rural towns and I suspect you know that.

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  • [–] 4 points 3 years ago (1 child)

    Yeah, but it seems better than the alternatives of letting those towns collapse.

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  • [–] 5 points 3 years ago*

    So you're going to have towns full of retired old people? Maybe also include their caretakers and maybe service workers supplying everything the caretakers need. Oh, and schools for the caretakers children. And teachers, obviously. And maybe some industry for the caretakers spouses to work at.

    Retirees aren't going to keep towns alive. They're just usually among the last to leave.

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  • [–] 2 points 3 years ago*

    Immigrants don't want to live in rural towns. I remember when a group of refugees were bussed in Sweden and they revolted that they didn't get to stay in a city.

    I mean even LOCAL people don't want to live in rural towns, that's why they're depopulated.

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  • [–] 1 point 3 years ago

    And then we'll need more people to look after those young ones when they retire and then we'll need more people to look after those young ones when they retire and then we'll need more people to look after those young ones when they retire and then we'll need more people to look after those young ones when they retire

    No, no more growth. It's going to hurt the current generation but it's for the greater good. It's time to have a population decline

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