Massive earthquake suddenly occurred in Tohoku Japan on 11th of March, unfortunately the number of deaths is counted up about 15,830 which means approximately one out of eight thousand Japanese disappeared. Moreover Japan confront with the big issue relating to our life or the future of our country that is a declining birthrate and aging population. In order to solve those problems, we should change immigrant policy to accept more and more immigrant from all over the world.
In fact, Japan accepts to admit immigrant workers only 925,000 in 2006 from the research of MHLW. According to the article of the Wall Street Journal, Japan is required to accept 10,000,000 immigrants. They would make a large and new demand such as food and clothes, education, employment and tourism. Also those demands would make a new marketplace, and they absolutely revitalize Japanese economics. Unfortunately recently tragic earthquake happened in Tohoku. If immigrants come to there and open a new business for example agriculture, it will directly affect there. Therefore immigration policy should be considered to accept more in order to rebuild Tohoku earthquake and other issues relating to the decline of the population in Japan.
However there will be a lot of problems with today’s immigration system if Japan suddenly accepts many immigrants. Unfortunately Japanese people who deny for this can not easily let them come. Some people would insist that they commit crime in Japan. Or other people might say “they will take our job, and we lose money to earn.” Even though people don’t agree to the new immigrant policy, Japan can not allow them to come. Moreover the present systems or environment for immigrant in Japan is terrible. So firstly, the government should try to persuade Japanese how advantageous it is, and secondary we should try to make environment or systems comfortable for immigrant. Then we as it means Japanese and non-Japanese can live together.
References
-Monthly Report, MIC Statistics Bureau. Retrieved November 25 2011, from
[http://www.stat.go.jp/english/data/jinsui/tsuki/index.htm]
by Masahiro Hatoyama
JAPANsociology 