On Mon, Jun 16, 2008 at 6:26 PM, Perry E. Metzger <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Jim Grisanzio <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: >> But on a more serious note, Japan is dying. Literally. The whole >> country. The population today is about 125 million but will be cut in >> half in 50 years because people are not having kids and the government >> is determined to keep immigrants (foreigners) out. So, Japan will >> slowly die away sometime late this century (estimates range, of >> course). > > The same is happening to Italy and many other first world countries.
I disagree. I believe the situation is qualitatively different in Japan (Jim please feel free to chime in!) It's true that the birthrate is below replacement level in other countries, but I believe that Japan is both further along, and more importantly an order of magnitude more xenophobic than other countries facing that situation. I agree with you that the situation will change radically, but Shiv is also right in that the situation in other countries will change mostly by swelling immigrant populations growing to replace (and become!) the shrinking population of descendants of previous generations of residents. I do not see that happening in Japan. I could see a smaller and smaller population of citizens eventually ruling a large population of resident aliens, but not granting them citizenship, nor much political control. -- Charles
