Immigration in Japan

Japundit makes a sensible suggestion to solve Japan's falling birthrate--open up the country to immigration. But there is no way that is happening anytime soon. No doubt the new pseudo-nationalist government in the nation would throw a clot if that were allowed. Japan (and other nations in Asia as well, especially South Korea) make a big deal over their racial purity. Japan is facing a crisis because Japanese women aren't having children. What the Japanese people will hopefully come to understand is that immigration is a wonderful thing. Look at all it has given to the United States--wonderful diversity in food, culture, social mores, ideas about race, gender, sexuality, politics, etc.

One thing this reminds me is that for all the rightful criticism of the racism of many Americans, compared to the rest of the world, US immigration policy is pretty progressive. Unlike Europe, immigrants have a semi-reasonable path to becoming citizens. Unlike Japan, the children of foreign people are granted citizenship if they are born here. We have a long ways to go to having a society that truly respects foreigners, but in some ways, we are quite a bit ahead of Japan, Europe, and much of the rest of the world.