Japan’s Population Crisis Exposes the Dangers of Nationalist Populism and Immigration Mismanagement

Japan’s population crisis is more than a demographic statistic—it has become a battleground for competing visions of national survival. The surge of nationalist party Sanseito and its leader Sohei Kamiya’s "Japanese First" platform capitalizes on anxieties about the rising foreign population, economic stagnation, and cultural change. But as numbers show, shutting out skilled foreign workers ignores cold realities that imperil Japan’s economy and, by extension, global stability. Can Japan Afford to Turn Its Back on Necessary Immigration? Japan's workforce is shrinking at a rate that threatens vital industries from manufacturing to agriculture. With a record high of over 3.7 million...