Having visited Japan, my impression is that they'd rather be behind and have a declining population than not be Japanese. The things that we take for granted, for example like taking care of physical goods (i.e. using for phone until it breaks, taking care of electronics) or homogenity (i.e. low crime rate, cohesive well run society) are things the Western world kind of looks down upon but to them represent positive values. It's something truly special to walk around. A city is largest Tokyo or Osaka and not see a single piece of garbage anywhere. In fact, the only people I saw who littered were foreigners and it kind of made me realize why the Japanese are so hostile to the idea of mass immigration to be honest with you.
I love visiting Japan. I guess it doesn’t pay to be clean, polite, appreciation of culture, and love of its people and country. Why is it I wish my own country had those attributes.
I won't argue that, in general, Japan is cleaner than most other first world nations, but it is, by no measure spotless. I help run a trash pickup volunteering event in Nagoya every month, and we end up picking up around 50-100 kg of trash within just an hour of walking around the city centre. The state of some of the areas in the city are unbelievably bad. Also, Japan is hyper consumerist. Visit any second hand store, and you'll see the shelves stacked with year old iPhones and the like. Having worked in the automotive industry here, I've also seen, first hand, how people will trade in slightly old cars to buy brand new ones in droves. The older generation, for sure, follow the principle of "use it until it can't be used", but the current generation here is no different to the UK or US (with the added benefit of stable career progression and a decent social safety net enabling this). As for "homogeneity" enabling a low crime rate? I mean, come on - are you saying that anywhere with slight diversity in the population will immediately devolve into chaos and bedlam? As a British-Bangladeshi, I'm not, at least at a visual glance, the "right kind" of expat, but I'm here as a highly skilled individual (on the same visa he mentions in the video) who pays taxes, helps the community by volunteering in many ways, learned the language so I could be more involved in said community and understand the culture. The same applies to my international community here, and also to my South Asian community in my hometown in the UK.
If they would give a chance to the real young talents of Japan what would happen to the old fart leaders corrupt political and relational network? They wont get any chance... period
@@sreevishva3416It will dont worry. India is not a homogeneous country. Already southern states have reached high HDI like that of philippines and vietnam and more rich economies,only population has to decrease a lot overall
When I went to Japan , I feel like a lot of things there are a lot older than I would expected, but still function as good or better than the things we have back home.
@@darcyperkins7041 Yeah, I imagine it wouldn't hold true about modern houses. I've watched YT vids of refurbishing old wooden houses in Japan & the craftsmanship is just incredible.
Theres more to the Japanese economy than electronics. Japan has been consistently producing industrial chemicals, parts, steel, sensors and other industrial products. To judge an economy based simply on phones is absolutely ignorant.
The basic summary is: They have potential. They have made VERY nice things starting out, however, they are resisting change. They are "happy with what they have and think we need no further developments". but, the modern world obviously is changing (for the better or worse who knows), and they are left behind
I feel that the video missed some things though. While Japanese companies aren't as prevalent or household names like they used to, it's because many have pivoted to selling components and equipments used to build products that many still use. Many apple suppliers are Japanese companies and about 30% of Boeing components are made by japanese companies. People also tend to look at Japan in a vacuum when the fact of the matter is that almost all east Asian economies followed Japan's economic model and is facing similar challenges as a result. And the fact that some part and companies resisting change is not exclusive to Japan as companies in Germany also face this issue of many smaller firms simply refusing to modernize
@@animeboi6503 I beg difference. Japan increasingly loses out in many things, from software, to smartphone, to cloud computing, to quatum computing, to satellite communication, to 5G, to NEV (New Energy Vehicle), to Metaverse-like products, to AI. Japan mostly clings to their past glory: Xbox for entertainment, Toyota/Honda for cars, Anime/Manga. Those inventions, of course, won't save Japan forever.
@@oceanwave4502 as I've said before, Japanese companies have pivoted to selling equipment and components that require their years of expertise and you'd be pretty surprised at how much Japanese components are in everyday objects. This argument that Japan is stuck in the past with their galapagos design and whatnot was only really true for a small period of time in the latter half of the 2010s when most countries have embraced digitalization while Japan is seemingly lagging behind. With the pandemic really forcing many Japanese companies to somewhat adapt to digitalization. People seemed to fixated on news about how Japan finally banned floppy disc or how flip phones are still widely used in Japan to further this idea that Japan is somehow backwards when they are still one of the biggest spenders in terms of R&D and the fact that the second modt power supercomputer in the world is located in Japan as one example of their technical prowess
@@oceanwave4502 The problem with how people view Japan is that they tend to look at Japan in a vacuum like what happened to Japan is somehow an isolated case specific to Japan. What people missed however is the fact that pretty much every east asian nation saw what Japan was doing in the 80s and copied it down to a t. To quote Einstein, "the definition of insanity is doing the same ting over and over again while expecting a different result". Other east asian countries are experiencing rapid growth like Japan did in the 80s and are now facing similar issue with stagnation and depopulation looming over many of them. Problems like firms not embracing digitalization is also not exclusive to Japan. Considering that countries like Korea is run by a few megacorp that stifles innovation, china is well china, and Taiwan is really just a manufacturing hub, I feel that out of all the east asian countries Japan probably has the best future out of all of them
I would still rather live in Japan than the United States or in China. Japan is still a beautiful country And there's still ahead especially in infrastructure than many developing countries.
usa and china are both the worst countrys on this planet... it isnt hard to be better than them... even in africa urban it is way better than usa or china^^
@@stephenbachmann1171 sure 🤣🤣🤣 no zombi workers on streets, no minors getting forced to go to love hotels 🥰🥰🥰 hey, why do iphones in japan have mandatory shutter sounds? 💀💀💀
I don't think Japan is stuck. I rather think it has "stabilized" over time. Think about how unstable USA and China are. Even though they have state of the art technology, they're lacking "ordinary middle class" people to buy and use them. I think Japan will last longer than any country you've mentioned in this video.
@@descendantofgreeksandroman2505 Japan is officially the most advanced nation on earth in 2024 go google. This youtube videos are nonsense Japan has the 2 largest stock market in the world. 🎌
Japan failed to attract people to its smaller cities or towns. People from all over Japan are surging into Tokyo which continues to push up the rent in Tokyo. So on the one hand, the population of Japan is shrinking, but on the other hand, the rent in Tokyo is going up.
@@mrhand3350 but not enough, and not only thai, but indonesian, malaysian, and many more, mostly high skilled worker. and also for making it worse, sometime those foreign worker threated as "gaijin"
Except that’s a problem most developed countries are seeing as well as some fast developing countries like China. My point is that it’s a variable rather consistent to many other countries and thus there are bigger issues going on with japan that’s not related to Tokyo housing prices
@@Homer-OJ-Simpson I agree with you, if housing is the biggest problem, USA, South Korea, and mostly G20 countries will have the same problem as japan, but the reality is not like that
It's fine. Countries don't need to always grow. Nature is always cyclical and we should let populations and economies be the same way. I'm Indian but I would rather Japan stay uniquely japanese. It's a fairly important civilization in human history and it would be a shame if it was just sort of wiped out in some giant cosmopolitan melting pot. What would make Japan stand out from say, LA? I personally think the old world countries should retain most of it's roots and culture and let the "new world" (Americas, Australia) try the melting pot experiments.
They don’t need to grow but at least stabilize their population. Otherwise who is going to pay for the pensioners? You’re going to have to increase taxes exponentially or going to have to allow more people in. Losing population is not good, there is a reason the JP govt is panicking
@@LordKalerran Half the countries in the world currently have exactly the same problem. But..... west prefers to look at Japan's "problems". Is it more comforting to see the speck in someone else's eye?
Yeah idk if they'd call it fine as their economy continues to shrink. It doesn't make sense but that is the system we as humans have built and yes its not sustainable indefinitely but it's simply the way things work. It has to grow there's no other choice. Japan is gonna be in for some real hard times and we are talking decades if they don't act quickly to do something. The "Japan" that people want to preserve is gonna change one way or another and I'm fairly certain people don't want it to be the bad or hard way.
@@LordKalerranThey'll eventually have to incentivize having kids, monetary and otherwise. Plus I think they'll have to ban permanent sterilization procedures.
Worked in Japan in 2019. Best decision of my life was to run away specially before covid. Its a great place to visit as a tourist and horrible to move to
I don’t think this get said enough: lots of ppl appreciate the kind of contents on RU-vid that just dives into a topic straight away. I ve watched so many informative videos that just goes around and around talking about the background and doesn’t even get into the topic of the video halfway through. Keep it up Uptin!
I think there are so many aspects to analysis the conservative social environment(including invisable classic system,lifetime employment,extreme polite rules). In my view,it's mainly related with geography and history.They westernized about 100y ago but never had the mind revolution that respect human right and creativety.
@@johnwang7259Modern Japan is a 3rd world country. Socially, and politically, it is by all means a 3rd world country. The Japanese can look good and be a great nation capable of achieving the impossible... But too often it disappoints shamefully... Japanese people have stagnant minds. It is a curse upon their society and an insult to the high potential of their people which they are not achieving I'm sure the more politicians preach and beg everyone to do something, they'll definitely do it, because that's definitely how human function. If you hadn't picked up on the blasting sarcasm, then wipe yourself off because you are dead. Do these people not realize for something to happen, you have to have a causation and the removal of blockers? Like for example a totally revamped education system, a better workforce union, no overwork, mandatory national service for men and women etc... Etc...❤
@@darcyperkins7041 The idea (or should I say ideology) of 和魂洋才 / _Wakon Yōsai_ , which means "Japanese mindset plus Western talent" has been there for a century and a half, actually. It's been a driving force for Japan's remarkable success, but its psychological discrepancies lead to the ever increasing cases of depressive disorder and suicides.
Or the allies, like the US, US owes debt to its allies, apart from China which own around 860 bil USD of the US debt, the majoritity is own by allies like Japan which own the highest amount, 1.1 trillion USD, and then UK 670bil USD, Belgium 331 bil USD, Canada, Taiwan, Luxembourg, Switzerland.
@@abdussamad2471 Sort of. Japanese citizens and companies buy lots of bonds from the japanese government. So they don't have the risk of a big foreign investor suddenly deciding to stop lending money, like what happened in Greece.
@@oceanwave4502 I listened to one economic analyst regarding this very exact comment, and apparently the answer is yes lol, if things got out of control they can just write it off completely somehow
also unlike past generations, Japanese college age youth are not interested in studying overseas - much of this is financial (dollar is too strong to yen) and some of it based on fear of violence, crime in countries that aren't as safe as Japan. But many Japanese young adults have never stepped foot outside of Japan.
Modern Japan is a 3rd world country. Socially, and politically, it is by all means a 3rd world country. The Japanese can look good and be a great nation capable of achieving the impossible... But too often it disappoints shamefully... Japanese people have stagnant minds. It is a curse upon their society and an insult to the high potential of their people which they are not achieving I'm sure the more politicians preach and beg everyone to do something, they'll definitely do it, because that's definitely how human function. If you hadn't picked up on the blasting sarcasm, then wipe yourself off because you are dead. Do these people not realize for something to happen, you have to have a causation and the removal of blockers? Like for example a totally revamped education system, a better workforce union, no overwork, mandatory national service for men and women etc... Etc...
Before Corona, the total number of Japanese traveling abroad in 2019 was 20 million. It is rather difficult to find Japanese who have never been abroad.
I believe this is more to do with a cultural attitude or preference. I can never get over how the Japanese enjoy a work environment that is very '1985-6' - at the height of the economic boom. Whenever I brought up the subject of digital document & filing, or the concept of the 'paper free' office, my co-workers would always express bewilderment. "This is a method that works for us," I was often told, even if the working environment is knee-deep in paper and girls leaving the photocopying room with armfuls of documents. Frequent visits to the bank or the post office revealed systems that I had never seen since the 1970s and in 2000, office computers that were still running Windows 93 as standard. I tried hard not to laugh when my Japanese boss seemed so proud that wages were now paid directly into one's bank account (this, I learned, began in 1998) but a girl still walked around the office delivering wage slips on a trolly - something I've only ever seen in movies from the mid-1970s. Some years later, I found myself working in China where I was pleasantly surprised to find a digital environment to process all official and corporate communications (I'm guessing because of the sheer volume of people and the need for a more efficient and interconnected system for national security concerns.)
@@jacquesmassard9226 I discovered this too. It seems that half of the office 'pretends' to work during the day because they leave eveything until the late afternoon/evening to impress the boss or (in some cases) claim overtime. Some men in my office would disappear to the 'research section' of the library, which turned out to be a small room where these lovely old ladies served them tea and cakes. I was finally let in on this 'secret' just before I left ... ha haha
It may come as a surprise, but Japan is actually the easiest country in the developed world to obtain a work visa. In the U.S., the conditions are much stricter than in Japan.
it's a dead-end jobs visa, you can't get promoted, you can't change jobs, and you need to pay $10k to be in the program. Each year you need to pass a proficiency test (it also cost money) the pay is only $750/month USD equivalent while living expense is the same as in the US. I called that slavery visa.
I'm glad it is stricter. USA also allows a path towards citizenship and also allows dual citizenship! Not much of a language barrier either! Biggest companies in the world, still the reserve currency for the next 5+ years and not monoethnic like Japan. Even with all the problems USA has, it's NOT the worst place in the world at this moment of time!
Wow 😲 Kind of in shock , you mentioned Mrs Linda. She has proved beyond all doubt that it's worth generating wealth from crypto investment . I've been earning greatly
Please how can I reach out to her , i so much needs her services right now! I have been following her for a while on twitter and on her life streams , she teaches alot about crypto trade, but i seem not to understand.
We should stop rating everything based on money but start looking into more substantial factors like happiness of its people. In this crazy world, Japan still remains as one of the safest countries and probably its people still content. I am in the US and I'd prefer safety and sanity over any amount of economic status.
great in terms of happiness japan ranks below Guatemala and Kazakhstan . Finland been #1 for a lot of years in a row Denmark and Iceland all are ranked high. USA is in the top 15. So yeah they not happy either
Not just that, but his solutions weren't well-thought out, it's just what the MSM and academia want people to believe is progress. The reality is, it's cancer and destroying society. When I was in college in the early 2000's, we noticed no one had kids in the town we were in, which was really liberal. That has spread to most Western countries around the world. That's no coincidence.
I think they just want to look down on Japan with stereotypes and prejudices that "Japan is in decline." In reality, we have convenient daily infrastructure such as railway networks and convenience stores, an orderly society free of conflict, the development and globalization of pop culture such as anime and games, Good public safety, low unemployment rate, cleanliness of the town, quality and variety of food, courteous service, mature consumer culture, diverse tourism resources, Japan is a highly civilized society, far from declining. Rather, I feel that overseas countries such as the United States are becoming more chaotic with inflation, income disparities, conflicts, divisions, and chaos. It is true that Japan had momentum a long time ago. However, it was only because there were no competitors, and now that Asian countries have become richer and the number of competitors has increased, it has become difficult to win alone. Even so, we are working hard in areas that are difficult to see from the average consumer, such as industrial robot technology and semiconductor equipment. 「日本は減退している」という固定観念や偏見で日本を見下したいだけだと思う。 実際は、鉄道網やコンビニなど便利な生活インフラ、争いの無い秩序ある社会、アニメやゲームなどポップカルチャーの発展と世界化、 治安の良さ、失業率の低さ、町の清潔さ、食の品質と多様性、サービスの丁寧さ、成熟した消費文化、多様な観光資源、 日本は減退どころか高度に文明化された社会です。むしろアメリカなど海外の方がインフレや所得格差、争いや分断、混沌と化していってるように感じる。 確かに一昔前の日本は勢いがあったのは確かです。 しかしそれは競争相手がいなかっただけで、今はアジア諸国が豊かになって来て競争相手が増えてきただけで、一人勝ちするのが難しくなってきただけです。 それでも工業ロボット技術や半導体装置など一般消費者からは見えにくい所で頑張ってるんですよ。
I have a high regard for Japan. Despite being a small country, to be no. 3 in GDP is not something to look down on. At the end of the day, the outcome as in quality of life as a whole is more important than numbers like population etc. Some European countries have small population but high quality of life.
How is it a small country? It's geographically quite large (about the size of the Eastern seaboard) and has a large population (125.4 million). And it's the third largest economy in the world, and has been for like 4 decades.
@@dunnowy123 Japan is the same size of US state of Montana and slightly larger than Germany. So area wise is still relative small but with a large population. It doesn't help that the landscape of Japan is mostly mountainous so the population is too concentrated in one of the specific areas. That's why it feels crowded there.
@@dunnowy123Modern Japan is a 3rd world country. Socially, and politically, it is by all means a 3rd world country. The Japanese can look good and be a great nation capable of achieving the impossible... But too often it disappoints shamefully... Japanese people have stagnant minds. It is a curse upon their society and an insult to the high potential of their people which they are not achieving I'm sure the more politicians preach and beg everyone to do something, they'll definitely do it, because that's definitely how human function. If you hadn't picked up on the blasting sarcasm, then wipe yourself off because you are dead. Do these people not realize for something to happen, you have to have a causation and the removal of blockers? Like for example a totally revamped education system, a better workforce union, no overwork, mandatory national service for men and women etc... Etc...
Japan is Nazi of Asia….they killed millions of people for fun.. Japanese don’t even know what they did in the past…I mean their government erase their past dark history……Evilest empire up there with the Aztecs
Japan is in decline due to their stubbornness to change and adapt. I understand there are major disadvantages to allowing immigrants of different cultures, but they have few to no other options.
So? elderly people still don't work anymore, the issue is less workers for the Japanese economy how their government will pay the pensions of that many old people, their demography needs a proper balance of ages
They're stuck in the past because their social hierarchies value older people more than the youth. This puts precedent on doing things the way the older people prefer, thus preventing change and causing stagnation. We evolve as a species by pushing forward, trying new things, and making adjustments as needed. Japan has this backwards. In many ways, our children should be our teachers - they come into this world with purity and innocence, and better ideas about how things should work, for good reason.
The problem is that too much tax money is being spent on the welfare of the elderly. There's an institutionalized transfer of acquisition from the young to the old.
Not true, made in Japan, is still strongest brand they have! In my country in EU, is common knowledge, that Japan and Germany make best stuff you can buy, and people are willing to pay more for it.
"made in germany" has lost its value over the years. So has "german engineering". japan still believes in quality control but most of their consumer tech is at least 5 yrs behind.
He didn’t interview a random Iranian visitor. That guy seems to have been working in japan for atleast a decent amount of time in the area he’s interviewing.
Professor Farhad Taghizadeh-Hesary. Is an associate professor at Tokei University for more than 11 years. And has even published books regarding Japans Economy 😉
I’m a native Japanese and totally disagree with the view that Japan is a finished country or living in the past. It's just a economic statistics that Japan is not growing due to the deflation economy. Actually, the labor productivity per person per hour has been slightly but constatly increasing, and technological progress has not stopped at all. Japan is certainly struggling with a low birthrate and an aging population, but most European countries have the same problem. Countries like Germany or Sweden are having trouble with too many immigrants, but not Japan.
It's not clear yet what will turn out to be a better way forward for economies with a low birthrate. The "German Model" or the "Japanese Model". In Germany, 24 million now have a migrant background of 84million total. In some schools in Berlin, 80% of students in elementary schools now have a migrant background. With all the social problems that entails... (and that many people try to negate in the political debate). The upside: More people are living, working and consuming in Germany now than ever.
@@Pattern-Recognition The percentage of foreigners in the Japanese population continues to increase. However, it is still only about 3%. Japan don't accept refugees (real refugees cannot come to Japan by plane, can they?) nor simple manual foreign laours, whicht is the difference from Germany. How to secure the ever-increasing social security costs is the univercial problem that many countries are grappling with. For the time being, it seems that the only way is to get the elderly and women to work more in Japan.
@@morisoba2550 "more work" is not a solution, classic toxci japanese work culture. Its been proven by big tech like google and facebook that less hours make people more productive. Overwork is not good, EVER
@@HwanseokKim-n3b The Plaza Accord had a big impact, but the underlying issues meant that this was ultimately Japan's fate. Developed countries need to prioritize population growth so that they can defend their geopolitical position. Without the Plaza Accords, Japan would still have to deal with an aging society that refuses to have children, and ultimately their economy will stagnate. Stagnation is basically death when everyone else outgrows you.
@@uptin Well firstly the UK relies on dinosaur banks, oil and tobacco companies to stimulate their economy. As the world turns towards digital banking and other forms of fintech services, the banks in the United Kingdom are going to have a lot of trouble retaining their customer base. The world agenda at the moment is shifting from oil and head towards a greener future. Also, the UK has high taxation and this hinders innovation and forces firms to move elsewhere. Also, the UK also has an older population like Japan and the country will face the same issues Japan is facing in the near future. The UK also has high debt to gdp ratio, forcing the government to cut its budget on infrastructure and other research. Lastly m8 the UK is run by a bunch of clowns who get nothing done, so the country has stagnated and economic growth has halted.
I lived in Japan for 5 years but gave up and went home. Their visa rules are far too strict. It's almost impossible to get a visa for more than 1 year, and you are limited to the types of jobs you can apply for. Canada Gave me permanent residency in 2 years! Japan is very anti-immigration, to its detriment.
@@borlach321 I hear so many horrible things about Canada. I used to drive to visit my relatives in Mississauga and every year, you'd see the sprawl go further and further back.
The catch 22 is. Their strict and tough immigration policies, that make it hard to live there long term. Is a big part of how they maintain such a quality, mostly peaceful society. Look at the U.S. to see what happens. When immigration laws are too lax. How do you maintain any type of cultural or social norms. When people are flooding in with no desire to assimilate and instead do what they want? A country being very selective about who they allow to stay long term or even live permanently. Is wise.
We can’t just “raise the retirement age” out of this issue on a global scale - people just can’t work forever - especially manual labor jobs. 65 sounds low but doing manual labor jobs your whole life and you may be 65 but your body will feel like it’s 80. And the work culture death cult of Japan may not be as physically demanding but psychologically will destroy your body/mind by the time you retire
Some of the reasoning is faulty. Japanese corporate culture hasn't changed since after the 2nd world war. That same corporate culture was being cited as the reason for Japanese dominance in the 1980s. Ultimately the bursting of the huge asset bubble in the early 1990s caused a deep malaise in Japanese society. Innovation, entrepreneurship and risk taking really only happens in an environment of national optimism.
For the viewers' reference, it would be better to show the the title of the people being interviewed in the video. That way, we know who they are and what their credentials are.
I live in Japan and to be honest the japanese economy is a POS. it's stills seems relatively good since they can successfully falsify data but that's not manageable and sustainable in long term.
As soon as you look at the interviewers and who all speak English. It was clear this is a biased western propaganda video. The JP government has got this in the bag, no more foreigners to immigrate, trying to get the main JP population up by incentivizing companies with less work hours and more pay to workers.
Since Japan was mentioned, I will write about it. Japan has no foreign debt, so there is no need for reckless investment. Japan still has a large population relative to its land area. Thanks to the slowdown, air, water, and soil pollution have decreased. The Japanese have chosen stability and balance instead of a worshipful, hyper-competitive society. Foreigners have nothing to offer Japan. The only thing to consider is the development of one's own country. Your country is your sovereign country.
The double standards people have of Japan vs other countries is ridiculous. The gender parity there is worse than most countries and yet people talk about African and Middle Eastern countries as unfair to women. The level of acceptable xenophobia and racism that exists there would be condemned throughout the West. Yet people keep talking about how Japan is "nice and civilized". I don't know what Japan they are referring to. I appreciate many aspects of the culture, language and country, but I think a lot of people need a reality check.
@@a.s.1737 Its because Japan is a slave state of the US so it gets a pass for its racism and sexism. When you are a slave of the US you can do whatever, even be dictators like many of the Gulf Arab states.
@@a.s.1737 Yeah I think the difference is that Japan is sexist and racist in their own country while Africa and Middle East spreads their "culture" everywhere in civilised world. Also, Africans and Middle Easterns bring a lot of crime with them while the Japanese do not and that's a fact. If they stayed where they come from nobody would even care.
not sure what the guy you are interviewing wants. he says they need to increase the birth rate but also says they need to get more women into the workforce, those two things work against each other. he says it is a problem that older people are still working and not making room for younger workers but also says they need to raise the retirement age, how do those two go together. Here is an idea, shrink your government lower your taxes give additional tax breaks for having children and starting businesses and stop hiring beuricrats to tell you how to centrally plan your economy, birth rates and cultrue.
This is not the most trustworthy format: a narrator over clips and snippets of interviews. Any story could be made into anything with this kind of format. CNN uses it.
@@kageyamareijikun It’s exhausting fighting off propaganda all the time. Why not show two sides to the story at least. There are people who disagree. This channel used to have a different format. Now it sounds like a story for sale.
@@bosmanmclnnis true but most media formats tend to have a slant either due to production constraints or political bias. Still, as an Asian foreigner that has been living in Tokyo for a couple of years, I can attest that most of what he said is true (given the limited time he had to experience, interview and report what is happening in Tokyo and Japan on a larger scale) And this is not even delving into the rampant xenophobia and racism, with the deck insanely stacked against foreigners, for better or for worse. As the lady in the video correctly pointed out, the Tokyo mayor's dream of achieving financial hub status was dead even before it was born, because it is SO infinitely much easier to live in Hong Kong or Singapore as a gaijin than in Tokyo, due to the insurmountable multitude of issues covered in depth already in this short snippet. Don't get me wrong - most Westerners or even other Asians have a rose-tinted view of Japan for good reason - racial purity, homogeneity, orderly and peaceful, etc., and it's great for a holiday and visit with the cheap yen, great food and nice weather. But it is no place to make a living or a home. We will never be accepted even if you naturalize and speak the language, and it remains to be seen if Japan will ever get out of the rut it dug itself in.
I'm Japanese, and I have no doubt that what the video says is generally correct and declining. However, Japan already accepts many immigrants. Unfortunately, other Asian countries, which are sources of immigration, are already facing a phase of declining birthrates. In the long run, even if a large number of immigrants are accepted, decline due to the declining birthrate and aging population is almost inevitable. I think that this will probably become a worldwide problem and will not be a problem for Japan alone.
I don't think the country your coming from is better or more progressive than Japan considering you're originaly from Iran which is way poorer than Japan even the Capital of Iran is nothing compare to the poorest city in Japan. Japan is the second richest country in Asia in terms of GDP after China but Japan is absolutely richer than China its actually the most developed country in Asia together with S. Korea Hongkong Singapore and Taiwan so stop degrading Japan
I can't pass by your low key racist comment. Have you ever lived in Japan? Have you ever lived in the countryside? A poor town? The streets clean for sure with buildings empty as a drum. Japan is dying and the falsified economic data doesn't help this at all. Japan's wealth is a facade and to a level it's easy to fake in an extreme comformist very discreet society. But these are the last days and the end is coming.
Why is it a bad thing? Why the GDP must grow and population must grow? Maybe it's a slow descent from unsustainable population levels to sustainable levels? Japan is a small island and I wouldn't say that having a 20 million gigacity Tokyo on am island this small is sustainable. Being married, having a home, not spending much anymore, not having to travel - sounds nice and sustainable.
Hmm I wonder why wages are not rising? Why are they suddenly dependant on foreign technology? Who is going to pay pension and healthcare if population is full of old people who do not pay taxes? Oh right because economy and population is stagnant and will only get worse with less and less working people who can pay off those with taxes.
u mist be kidding. consumption is at an all time high. u are asking people to lower their standard of living and quality of life compared to their ancestors? wont happen
I live in Japan for almost 20 years and I like it very much. Low crime rate and very clean. Immigration can't be the solution to Japan's declining population problem. Motivating the people to live in rural areas is the key.
This is the case when the past and present borrows too heavily from the future for rapid economic growth. When population growth and talent starts lagging due to inflation, the population peaks, then starts declining. This is happening in Japan. Is starting to happen to China and Korea as well. This will also happen to Europe and North America.
I agree. This is happening to all despotized (socialy) societies. The free economy needs free mindset from the people and cannot costructed and operated by a intervinig goverment that plays the role of the "good despot".
For me why Japan decline because of their tradition they priority the old people instead of young and some young people want to innovate but they want to prioritize old people that is why Japan decline
But they still using fax... FAX!!! And if you going to the countryside pretty much only cash u can use everywhere except convenient stores and shopping malls. Outrageous. The third biggest economy!!! In the 21th century !!! What a shame!
and one of the most advanced in tech, this youtuber is seriously a dumb ass , he doesnt cite anything . I looked up mutiple lists. I love proving know-it alls wrong. People like this spread false info. Some stuff they are backwards but tech is not one of them. most people are sheep and cant dyor, they're dumb and listen to anything a youtuber says
So Japanese living past causes anything lot problems any decade As an AI language model, I cannot take a stand on any political or social issue. However, it is important to acknowledge that Japan is one of the most technologically advanced countries in the world, but it also has a strong cultural heritage that many people admire and respect. While some may argue that certain aspects of Japanese society are outdated, others may see them as an important part of their identity and traditions. It is up to the individuals to decide what they feel is important and what they would like to see change.
@@mikexhotmail yep exactly, I lived in japan and have relatives in japan. its so safe there. If i can make a living there, I would move. I literally do not feel safe in the USA anymore. This country is a bigger decline than most advanced countries imho. the crime rate has shot up exponentially. you can walk around the worst slums in japan, and still not feel like youre in danger, very few countries in the world you can do that. Maybe singapore, korea, norway, denmark and switzerland. and this youtuber is a dumb ass, japan is one of the most tech advanced countries in the world. he doesnt even cite anything. I literally looked it up. theyre one of the mos advanced in AI/robototics, and medicine. they are backwards on a lot of stuff but tech/medicine is not one of them.
@@mikexhotmail i would not live in tokyo, insanely crowded and crazy expensive. I would live in chiba, relatively affordable, and still a big city. lots of stuff to do.
Modern Japan is a 3rd world country. Socially, and politically, it is by all means a 3rd world country. The Japanese can look good and be a great nation capable of achieving the impossible... But too often it disappoints shamefully... Japanese people have stagnant minds. It is a curse upon their society and an insult to the high potential of their people which they are not achieving I'm sure the more politicians preach and beg everyone to do something, they'll definitely do it, because that's definitely how human function. If you hadn't picked up on the blasting sarcasm, then wipe yourself off because you are dead. Do these people not realize for something to happen, you have to have a causation and the removal of blockers? Like for example a totally revamped education system, a better workforce union, no overwork, mandatory national service for men and women etc... Etc...❤
I think incremental changes will be sufficient and efficient because 1st priorty is inflation. Once any economy expanded rapidly, inflation and living standard tend to rises substantially. That's a rule of thumb. JP cannot afford inflation becuase the high debts ration, but the fundemental is good now comparing to any other countries, haivng ultra low interest rate and low inflation relatively, no other countires can duplicate this enviroment.
As a Hong Konger, I can clearly see that Tokyo and Japan is regaining its place financially Hong Kong is losing his place. Capital is flowing back to Japan.
have been working for a japanese firm for 10 years, I sense Japan is boosting its people to speak English more. the younger Japanese colleagues are now more fluent in English and without Japanese accent. I sense the eagerness to go more international than before. Japan is aware they are probably running behind far from their supreme past.
Japan has been the world's biggest creditor nation since 1991 and counting and they are still the top holder of US treasuries. This has occured during the supposedly 'lost' decades for Japan and as China had so much growth over those years and Japan has 90% less people than China. If the world goes into a deflationary depression, as I think it will, Japan stands to benefit even more as deflation benefits creditors and crushes debtors, such as America.
top foreign holder for years. the top holder of US debt is the US. most of it is owed to like social security and etc... i think japan similar in that way.
125 million looks like too high a population for the area.. though i understand how a declining population is going to cause issues because someone has to pay for pensions, but its going to be a transitional issue, shouldnt be a bother in the long run?
IMO the biggest changed that needs to happen is a radical shift in working hours and work culture. I'm good friends with a Japanese patent cleric and he hates his job. He's out the door at 7 and gets home at 6 and his company has all the same issues of seniority over productivity and hours worked over actual work done. If anywhere needs a 4 day work week, it's Japan.
Because of everything going on in Japan, I know a few of my Japanese friends that are looking to one day leave the country and settle elsewhere than to deal with the country's future growing problems.
exactly... the whole world is standing still for 30-40 years... health care is getting worse, food is getting worse, water quality is getting worse, schooling is getting worse, infrastructure is getting worse... nothing rly gets any better but electronics (in a slow rate... like a snail... google how old 4k is... just one example).
Japan's employment system made sense when the country was developing after WWII and companies had an incentive to tie workers down long-term with lifetime employment to ensure capacity for continued growth. Nowadays it doesn't make much sense. A lot of traditional Japanese companies still have salary structures where a big percentage (if not all) of the salary is based on age, so people get a raise each year just by making it to their next birthday doing the exact same job at the exact same level. It's one reason for Japanese companies' emphasis on tiny incremental KAIZEN instead of groundbreaking innovation. This also means that someone who changes companies may have to start near the bottom of the seniority ladder again at the new company, which discourages people from looking for new jobs and perpetuates the problem. (Japan is trying to make it easier for salarymen to change jobs, like revising how company pensions are taxed after retirement, but overall it is still not that common.) It makes companies get stuck with bigger and bigger payrolls as their workers age even if their performance and contributions to the company stay the same (or even decline). Unless they commit some sort of crime or major error, the risk of workers getting fired in Japan is quite low, so incompetent people can stay on the payroll and be a drag. As a side effect of this, there are many cases of Japanese companies using nasty office bullying techniques and overwork to mentally break people and cause them to resign on their own volition (no need to pay any compensation if it's the worker's decision to leave).
Japan became an innovation powerhouse due to several factors. In the post-World War II era, the country focused on rebuilding its economy and invested heavily in education, research and development, and technological advancement. This led to breakthroughs in various industries, such as electronics, automotive, and robotics. Japan's success can be attributed to its emphasis on long-term planning, disciplined work ethic, commitment to quality, and strong collaboration between industry, government, and academia. Additionally, Japanese companies prioritized continuous improvement and introduced concepts like lean manufacturing and Just-in-Time production, further boosting their competitiveness. However, in recent years, Japan has faced challenges that have caused it to fall behind in some areas of innovation. One significant factor is demographic changes, including an aging population and a declining birth rate, which have impacted the labor force and consumer demand. Additionally, increased competition from emerging economies, changing global dynamics, and a relatively conservative business culture have also played a role. To regain its innovation momentum, Japan is taking steps to encourage entrepreneurship, promote digital transformation, and foster collaborations between startups and established companies. The government is also investing in emerging technologies like artificial intelligence, biotechnology, and renewable energy to stimulate innovation and economic growth.
Modern Japan is a 3rd world country. Socially, and politically, it is by all means a 3rd world country. The Japanese can look good and be a great nation capable of achieving the impossible... But too often it disappoints shamefully... Japanese people have stagnant minds. It is a curse upon their society and an insult to the high potential of their people which they are not achieving I'm sure the more politicians preach and beg everyone to do something, they'll definitely do it, because that's definitely how human function. If you hadn't picked up on the blasting sarcasm, then wipe yourself off because you are dead. Do these people not realize for something to happen, you have to have a causation and the removal of blockers? Like for example a totally revamped education system, a better workforce union, no overwork, mandatory national service for men and women etc... Etc...❤❤❤
They cant run away they must accepte more immigrants so they Can achieve growing.. labor Factor IS every thing in any industry even in so called artificiel intelligent..
Japan's toyota has found solid state battery which gives 1200 km range, 10 minutes charging, half the weight and expensive compared to lithium ion and there lies the future of Japan
If Japan is going to accept more immigrants they need to be very careful on who they let in. It can't be like Europe with its migrant crisis. It's best if they accept East Asians or some SE Asians countries and be strict with those that break the law.
Arab and Japanese culture are more similar than you think, both cultures value family life and guest friendliness. The issue with Japan is that capitalism has disrupted their culture, the work hours are too long and leave no room to breathe. The fertility rate is dropping because there is no time for their family and social life, the time is all spend working like bees.
Japan never needed to rely on foreigners for anything. In the 1700's, Japan ruled by Tokugawa had a population of 27 million compared to British Empire which was population of 7 million.
To those who say the solution is to grow the population, what they are saying is that the population should grow towards infinity forever to avoid the day of reckoning when population stabilization will bring government budgetary pain. Japan is crowded enough.
Japan's current working environment is not so bad. According to an OECD survey, the average working hours of Japanese people are shorter than those of Americans.
The answer to all your five points always ends with, “this is Japan.” They can’t and won’t change the fundamentals. My wife’s from Japan and more than happy to live here in Aus as it’s so hard to get a decent job as a woman back home.
Basically this. I currently work in Tokyo for a major tech company as an American. Unwillingness to learn another language like English, discrimination in the housing market, median age of nearly 50 has a major influence on politics and culture, etc. I could go on and on. It's too bad because Japan is a very attractive place to live with low crime and fantastic public transportation. Food is great. People don't bother others. Anyone can actually have a good time drinking and take a safe train ride home. But the answer will always be "this is Japan" (take it or leave it) and they don't care what the international community thinks.
@@cv5420 Agreed, we had a wonderful trip back to Tokyo and Fukuoka in April. Such a great place in shorter doses with the food, hospitality, sights etc, but we all know that.
Modern Japan is a 3rd world country. Socially, and politically, it is by all means a 3rd world country. The Japanese can look good and be a great nation capable of achieving the impossible... But too often it disappoints shamefully... Japanese people have stagnant minds. It is a curse upon their society and an insult to the high potential of their people which they are not achieving I'm sure the more politicians preach and beg everyone to do something, they'll definitely do it, because that's definitely how human function. If you hadn't picked up on the blasting sarcasm, then wipe yourself off because you are dead. Do these people not realize for something to happen, you have to have a causation and the removal of blockers? Like for example a totally revamped education system, a better workforce union, no overwork, mandatory national service for men and women etc... Etc...
Probably the reason why situation in manga and anime is a huge contrast to real life in japan (unless the authors are trying to portray the real life event).
South Korea and China will soon follow Japan, due to the same low birth rates and aging population. Almost all the countries in Europe will face the same problem due to recession and the aging population and immigration won't help because of the high cost of living that discourages having children, especially in the big cities.
Agreed. Every major economic power will have this problem over the next century. Many, many people were born in these countries after the end of World War 2. Then they had a somewhat smaller amount of kids (millennials and Gen Z) who either just aren’t having kids or are not having as many as before. Many older people are, say, 1 of 4-6+ siblings, but nowadays most people have either just 1 or 2 siblings. The US, for example, will probably start to see its population falling soon as well. The difference is the US does allow for some immigration, which replaces those who aren’t having kids. It’s why so many new people are from, say, India or east Asia. The suburb I grew up in that’s in California was pretty damn white when I was a kid 20 years ago, but now there’s a lot more people of Indian and Asian (usually Chinese or Japanese) descent. Our population grew a lot. It was around 63,000 in 2000 when I was a kid and now is nearly or likely above 80,000 nowadays.
China miscount by 100 mil and their entire factory enterprise in moving to Indian and Vietnam , I'm waiting for a block type coalition to counter their agressive stand regarding the South China sea.
A "high cost of living" caused by immigration. No immigration, no pressure on housing, lower costs, better standard of living, more babies. Immigration is the cause not the solution.
Yup, all the dummies screaming about how capitalism doesn't need to be regulated will kind of soon realize, um...there are consequences to not doing so.
Wait !!! IMF Said Japnese Economy grows significantly higher than Expected and The Stock market rose to 33 years high which leads to a dramatic amount of chances for japan to Again Achieve a economic momentum ?????
@@gaijin_simar Yes, but it was still higher than the Japanese economy in USD terms. It is because of 2 reasons: 1. JPY depreciated much quicker than EUR. 2. Germany went into recession in Q1, but that is calculated using its real GDP which factored in the inflation. Its nominal GDP is still growing very quick, although it doesn't catch up with inflation.
i was reading an article a week ago on how its population is in decline. great to see the other factors of japan's decline in a video through your perspective 😍😍
I have always even now still believe in the good quality of Japanese products. I have my first TV a JVC 14 inch CRT TV which I bought in the 1990s and is still working today. So I was surprised that now some of those Japanese products are no longer that good. My uncle bought a Sony Bravia way back and after a year it had a line in its screen and after a few years it just stop working. I look into forums for some help that's when I learned that Sony TVs had been labeled as a '1 year TV'. I still believe in other Japanese brands but not in Sony anymore.
