Japan is right to rethink its immigration approachBy Gearoid Reidy / Bloomberg OpinionThe world cannot get enough of Japan. Japan has an image as a place that is nigh on impossible to move to, but in reality, its approach is often incredibly lax. The slowly-does-it approach has allowed Japan to observe the mistakes of other nations that flew headlong into mass migration and are now having to reverse course. A decade ago, Japan was frequently criticized for “pulling up the drawbridge” by declining to accept large numbers of asylum seekers. The prime minister has a chance to reshape policies to avoid a whiplash of an overly loose approach followed by a stringent crackdown.

Source: Taipei Times January 16, 2026 17:00 UTC