from Hacker News

Japan was the future but it's stuck in the past

by IndexPointer on 1/21/23, 4:14 PM with 2 comments

• by ETH_start on 1/21/23, 7:48 PM

  Japan has a higher life expectancy, lower crime rate and lower rate of drug overdose death, than other advanced economies.

  Having safe streets, not inundated with severely mentally ill people with severe substance abuse problems, or rampant property crime that residents often don't even report due to the police being overwhelmed and apathetic, provides for a more tranquil and enjoyable life, not reflected by wage or per capita GDP statistics.

  I'm not so certain it can be considered failing in how it manages itself - at least not any more than peer states.

• by sys32768 on 1/21/23, 9:15 PM

  > If you want to see what happens to a country that rejects immigration as a solution to falling fertility, Japan is a good place to start.

  What I see is an incredibly rich monoculture with dizzying varieties of tradition and creative expression of arts and crafts and cuisine.

  If it were my country of birth, I'd be proud and protective of that legacy, and not willing to risk it just to please a few outsiders who aren't happy with it.