I've lived in Japan for 15 years, long enough to see patterns repeat, and the newest stories about Japan's openness to immigration fits a trend that has been visible for years, just smothered in PR. Apparently, a majority now says Japan should not expand foreign labor. I do not read this as hostility toward foreigners. I read it as confirmation that Japan Inc. is choosing contraction instead of change.
IMO, this is a structural issue, not a cultural one. The core institutions of Japan (what I always call "Japan Inc.") are built on rigid hierarchies, slow decision cycles, and seniority based leadership pipelines that cannot keep pace with a modern economy. Real reform would require uncomfortable adjustments, from digital upskilling to breaking old labor norms. Rather than take those steps, the system is protecting itself by shrinking. And, let's face it, even if Japan Inc. tried it wouldn't have the ability to actually, meaningfully affect change in nearly enough time to reverse things.
But, that's what interests me: the opportunity this creates outside the system. As the center tightens, the edges are opening faster than people realize. Rural towns, overlooked regions, and underused industries are becoming the most flexible and opportunity-rich parts of the country. The future of Japan will not be shaped in boardrooms in Tokyo. It will be shaped in the spaces Japan Inc. is no longer capable of managing. (Adjacently, I can't stop thinking about how this resembles Emperor Godaigo and the Kenmu Restoration, but that is a longer story for another time.)
So, I'm curious: If the establishment refuses to evolve, who should claim the future that opens up around it?
by Tokyometal