Good for Them
Oct. 24th, 2023 08:43 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rynlingJapan, with a twist: the provincial town that hosts people from 49 countries
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/oct/22/japan-with-a-twist-the-provincial-town-that-hosts-people-from-49-countries
While Japan’s population is forecast to plummet from its current 125 million to an estimated 88 million by 2065, the foreign contingent is expected to rise, with public thinktanks warning last year that it will need to quadruple the number of migrant workers by 2040 for the government to achieve its economic growth targets.
Masami Fukuda of Ōizumi town hall’s multicultural cooperation division said they would receive a warm welcome in Ōizumi: “This is just a small town. We’re a long way from the sea, and there are no mountains. Our selling point is our diversity.”
Economic growth targets can burn. But still, it's always good to open doors and tear down walls. Not in a "global capitalism" sort of way, but in a "letting people live where they're happy" sort of way. Also:
Local officials concede that not everyone was prepared for the influx of foreign residents. “There were older people who complained of too many foreigners,” said Fukuda. “But that’s mainly a generational thing. In the past, a lot of people hadn’t even met a foreigner, but now their grandchildren go to school with children from all over the world.”
There have been setbacks – sorting household rubbish, which is done in a very particular way in Japan, has been a source of friction – but officials say community relations are on a sound footing. “The rules are there for Japanese residents, too, not just for foreigners,” said Ryota Shinohara, who also works for Ōizumi’s multicultural cooperation division.
It would be nice if different perspectives led to different ways of doing things. To give two concrete examples, the way trash pick-up works in Japan is not okay, nor is the way many Japanese public schools mishandle diversity. It's wonderful to see these systems being challenged.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/oct/22/japan-with-a-twist-the-provincial-town-that-hosts-people-from-49-countries
While Japan’s population is forecast to plummet from its current 125 million to an estimated 88 million by 2065, the foreign contingent is expected to rise, with public thinktanks warning last year that it will need to quadruple the number of migrant workers by 2040 for the government to achieve its economic growth targets.
Masami Fukuda of Ōizumi town hall’s multicultural cooperation division said they would receive a warm welcome in Ōizumi: “This is just a small town. We’re a long way from the sea, and there are no mountains. Our selling point is our diversity.”
Economic growth targets can burn. But still, it's always good to open doors and tear down walls. Not in a "global capitalism" sort of way, but in a "letting people live where they're happy" sort of way. Also:
Local officials concede that not everyone was prepared for the influx of foreign residents. “There were older people who complained of too many foreigners,” said Fukuda. “But that’s mainly a generational thing. In the past, a lot of people hadn’t even met a foreigner, but now their grandchildren go to school with children from all over the world.”
There have been setbacks – sorting household rubbish, which is done in a very particular way in Japan, has been a source of friction – but officials say community relations are on a sound footing. “The rules are there for Japanese residents, too, not just for foreigners,” said Ryota Shinohara, who also works for Ōizumi’s multicultural cooperation division.
It would be nice if different perspectives led to different ways of doing things. To give two concrete examples, the way trash pick-up works in Japan is not okay, nor is the way many Japanese public schools mishandle diversity. It's wonderful to see these systems being challenged.
