JJapan

Japan losing attractiveness to foreign workers amid economic stagnation

  • November 2, 2025

Japan losing attractiveness to foreign workers amid economic stagnation

by Any-Stick-8732

27 comments

  1. It’s not only economic stagnation. Salaries weren’t on the high end, even before the pandemic.

    There is a lot more, ranging from difficult language to acceptance and integration issues, not to mention recent increase in more negative outlook towards foreigners.

  3. Is the economy still stagnant? Pretty sure real wages have been on constant free fall.

  8. Yup, I am leaving to Thailand now! bye bye Japan!! I think they should make Samurais great again instead of trying to make Japan, great again… Its funny how the Japanese think they were on this island first but the AINU people were here before the “Japanese” kinda like how the British kicked out the native Americans and Mexicans then called it United States of America..

  10. I took a 30 % pre tax pay cut to come here just for the experience of living in Japan for a few years. If I were to include tax it would be even worse. This is with a very competitive career profile.

    The biggest problems are taxes and other social services costs . People in my income and age bracket 20mn 30 years old plus have way way better options that still provide better quality of living. (Australia Singapore Malaysia Thailand in Asia pacific)

  12. Not to mention the worst work conditions full of dumb rules about every little thing that have no meaning or purpose.

  13. Foreigners have mostly always given up and gone back home since decades past. Without a family support structure, Japan is way too tough to push on through after 35 or so. I guess this has now become so tough that many don’t even see the point of starting on the road.

  14. More than that. Growing xenophobia and racism, plus low wages make it not worth going through the tedious visa process.

    Also, social media matters. It appears like Japan is going downhill and everything is awful. It’s not really true but that’s what gets attention and clicks so people play it up. Just look at that recent drama with Abroad in Japan and that other person that was exaggerating and making up lies about japan to make things look bad. But the average person isn’t really looking into it that deep

  15. Unless you’re forced to move here per a company transfer or you genuinely have a passion for Japan there’s just no reason any professional would choose here.
    Difficult society to join, English is terrible so need to learn Japanese, low pay. Why would a doctor or any professional choose here.
    (Not saying you shouldn’t learn Japanese, just saying the last thing someone moving abroad for career wants is to start learning a difficult language)

  16. Let’s be honest here, the vast majority of western foreign workers do not move to Japan to advance their careers. They are obsessed with Japan and want to experience the culture. Most of them work as low paid English ” teachers” for a few years until the illusion breaks and they go back home disappointed. Even in Europe you make like double the salary for the same job with less hours worked….

  17. Japan has never been attractive to foreign workers. If you are able to relocate, chances are you know English and the best country to emigrate to is the US.

    You come to Japan for its culture, serene quality of life and its safety. If the economic aspect is all you are after, then you are definitely off the country.

  18. With around 3% foreign population in Japan, was Japan ever attractive to foreign workers? It would seem even less so now with the terribly weak yen.

    When I see foreign workers at the konbini, I wonder why they slave away in Japan. Surely, they can’t be sending much money back home.

  20. Which foreign workers? Westerners? You guys only minorities compared to foreign workers from the rest of Asia.

  22. Uh yeah? I moved to Japan in 2011 and thought making 310,000 yen/mo was amazing. And to be clear, when the yen was above the dollar, *significantly* above the dollar, life was grand.

    Then it was all downhill from there.

    In 2017 I directly asking for a COLA raise in Japan and practically got laughed out of the office, basically being told that my skills aren’t that valuable as a Product Manager.

    So… I moved back to North America. And I now make $300k /year (base + stock + bonuses) and when I go back and see my friends making *the same god damn wage* we all made back in the 2010s…

    …I just can’t ever move back to that.

    I love Japan with all my heart and soul, but I can’t go back to getting a pittance and being gaslit into being grateful for it.

  23. Only weebs are attracted to Japan, did not go here because of the salary. So the white desirable migrants they’re hoping for is just a pipe dream.

  24. I guess this is wonderful news for Japan. Wages might increase for the average Japanese person while fulfilling the dream of a homogeneous society, which the new prime minister appeared to campaign for this ideology.

  25. I wanted to immigrate there, but seem how difficult it is, just to get discriminated for my skin color or nationality, the rising anti immigration, and the low wages, it’s not effing worthy, at least not for me.

  27. the racism and xenophobia don’t help. sanseito literally don’t want foreigners even to visit

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