Gray Area
Population Aging and Immigration Attitudes in Japan
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12379710 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Michael John Gigante (0009-0009-6256-1296, George Mason University, corresponding author), Justin Gest (0000-0002-5286-4551, George Mason University) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 59 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 312-319 |
| Publication date | 2025-09-15 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | PS Political Science & Politics (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1049-0965 • E-ISSN: 1537-5935 |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1017/s1049096525101431 |
| OpenAlex | W4414184355 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 31 |
Japan is one of the world’s fastest aging societies, with projections showing a population decline of almost 40 million people as the country grays during the next 40 years. By the end of this period, those aged 65 and older will comprise almost 40% of the population. Despite efforts to boost fertility rates and millions of septuagenarians working full-time, Japan remains one of the least receptive immigration destinations. In this study, we investigate how information about these demographic trends affect attitudes toward immigration. In a survey experiment with 1,000 Japanese voters, we evaluate the impact of exposing participants to demographic data on aging and its implications. The prime results in a 10-percentage-point increase in immigration support for the treatment group. Younger, urban respondents responded positively and elderly and rural respondents reacted less positively. Follow-up interview-based fieldwork reveals that restrictionist subgroups view a shrinking population as vulnerable to increased immigration, whereas other participants are less concerned with identity issues and more concerned with economic competitiveness. Taken together, this research provides a new understanding of Japan’s unique perceptions of immigration policy relative to peer countries, which may foreshadow political developments in Western democracies that are becoming increasingly xenophobic and increasingly older
Affect (linguistics · Fertility · Gray (unit · Immigration · Immigration policy · Perception · Population · Population ageing · Survey data collection · Migration and Labor Dynamics · Migration, Aging, and Tourism Studies · Migration, Refugees, and Integration
Japan's Model of Immigration Without Immigrants
Crossroads
Embedded Racism
An Immigration Policy by Any Other Name
Correcting Citizens’ Misperceptions about non-Western Immigrants
New aspects of Japan’s immigration policies
Migrant Rights Protections and Their Implementation in 45 Countries
Should International Migration Be Encouraged to Offset Population Aging? A Cross-Country Analysis of Public Attitudes in Europe
Testing the Limits of Welfare State Changes
Ageing, Local Birth Rates and Attitudes towards Immigration
Imagined Conditions of the “Japanese”
Toward Liberal Immigration Control
How Many Immigrants
The Stability of Immigration Attitudes
The Muted Consequences of Correct Information about Immigration
Varieties of Public Attitudes toward Immigration
More Important, but for What Exactly? The Insignificant Role of Subjective Issue Importance in Vote Decisions
The Effect of Language on Political Appeal
Framing the Narrative
Ascriptive Characteristics and Perceptions of Impropriety in the Rule of Law
Incorporating immigrants as foreigners
Support of Multiculturalism, But For Whom? Effects of Ethno-National Identity on the Endorsement of Multiculturalism in Japan
Views on immigration in Japan
Workers by any other name
Minorities and Protest in Japan
Hegemony of Homogeneity
The 'Illusion' of Homogeneous Japan and National Character
Norms to be prejudiced
| Unique citing works | 2 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 2 |
| Citation span | 2026 - 2026 (1) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 2 |