> What they need to do is figure out a way to grow the population locally or through large-scale immigration
Or drastically increase productivity, or have more people join the workforce. Women are massively under-used in Japan. There's no need for immigration as long as there is a large untapped segment of the population not actively employed.
Integrating women into the workforce is a different issue. It would help to some degree --and the government is making a greater effort in having this happen. As paternalistic as Japan is, given the choice of making life easier for women to join the workforce or allow greater legal immigration in Japan, they have chosen to encourage women to stay in the workforce and to try to make it easier for them to succeed. As good as that is for society, it still will not make up for the structural problems bought on by a declining but aging population _and_ a large and growing retiree population. They need a younger population. Bringing in 10 million retirees from Florida would not help Japan's economy's structural problems. they need young, eager and enthusiastic immigrants to bring some vibrancy to their flagging economy.
Japan has great productivity and has automated moreso than any other country --it's had to due to a retiring population. They need a younger population with disposable income who are willing to spend their disposable income.
> Japan has great productivity and has automated moreso than any other country --it's had to due to a retiring population. They need a younger population with disposable income who are willing to spend their disposable income.
I'm sorry but the myth about Japan productivity has to stop :) I work in Japan and there are the most ineffective and honestly useless jobs out there. People guarding plastic cones on the road. People waiting at the car park exits everywhere to ensure no accident occurs. People at the front of numerous stores and train stations paid to salute everyone passing by. I understand it's all a part of customer service but this is just bringing actual productivity down. And I'm just citing obvious examples here, inside corporations there are tons of underemployed or useless jobs as well and since companies cannot fire people in Japan they carry on the deadweight for decades.
There's so much fat in every Japanese organization out there they have enough to skim out for 20 years and still be in shape.
Retirees working redundant jobs are not the issue. People staying in the office (twiddling thumbs) till the boss leaves is more of an issue.
Granted, construction is a big waste of money -but a lot of that is done by itinerant workers and pouring concrete over riverbeds and seashore is hardly useful endeavor, except to line the pockets of connected (all) politicians.
> Women are massively under-used in Japan. There's no need for immigration as long as there is a large untapped segment of the population not actively employed.
How would that help? People who are not employed (not "unemployed", but they simply don't need to work) still spend money (that their working relatives make), so by having them enter the workforce, you would not increase consumption at all, while reducing the average wage (making it impossible for a single working spouse to sustain a family).
> The simplicity and modernity that is often seen in Western Web Design gave these users the impression of not providing enough information, which made them uneasy and engendered a lack of trust.
huh, by adding another income to the family ? So, that should lead to a least a little more consumption.
Even if the average wage is reduced, I doubt it would be cut by half and result in 2 people working to reach the same salary as a single person before. You are not being very realistic here, since in Western countries putting Women to work has been a very effective way to increase households' levels of life.
Well, yes, it depends on the assumptions. Honestly, I have no idea how it worked out in the West, as I come from a country where 2 working parents has been the norm already for my grandparents. Maybe there is lack of production, and more employees could produce more, and hence get paid more (in average). On the other hand, (as I think you implied in another reply) there might be too many employees already, wasting time at work, and a lack of consumption. In that case, the only thing that 2 working spouses would cause is a redistribution in income (2-working-parent families would be getting comparatively more money, 1-working-parent families comparatively less).
In the short term, yes, but in the long term, that's questionable... AFAIK, 50 years ago, it was very simple to raise a middle-class family with just one working parent (in the US), whereas nowadays it's almost impossible for the majority of professions.
Or drastically increase productivity, or have more people join the workforce. Women are massively under-used in Japan. There's no need for immigration as long as there is a large untapped segment of the population not actively employed.