abstract: 'The rapid aging of Japan''s population and workforce has prompted

  proposals by key political and economic actors to advocate for

  immigration, though public sentiment has generally been opposed to

  immigration. Japan has therefore undertaken social policies to mobilize

  seniors and women as workers and establish gender equality in

  employment. These measures have sought to reduce the rising costs faced

  by Japan''s pension system and mitigate the long-term decline of the

  country''s fertility rate. The author examines the efficacy of these

  social policies in the context of Japan''s deregulation of labor markets

  and the expansion of flexible and low-wage employment arrangements.

  Although the proportion of nonregular employment has grown since the

  late 1980s, it has not created gains in productivity, though it has

  increased economic disparities. These outcomes suggest that the

  importation of unskilled immigrants as a (similarly) cheap source of

  labor would not be an adequate solution.'
affiliation: 'Shinkawa, T (Corresponding Author), Kyoto Univ, Grad Sch Law, Kyoto,
  Japan.

  Kyoto Univ, Grad Sch Law, Kyoto, Japan.'
author: Shinkawa, Toshimitsu
author-email: shinkawa@law.kyoto-u.ac.jp
author_list:
- family: Shinkawa
  given: Toshimitsu
da: '2023-09-28'
doi: 10.1177/0002764212441789
files: []
issn: 0002-7642
journal: AMERICAN BEHAVIORAL SCIENTIST
keywords: 'aging population; immigration; social policy; gender equality; labor

  markets'
language: English
month: AUG
number: 8, SI
number-of-cited-references: '34'
pages: 1123-1138
papis_id: 762d4c25baf397ef77eac11ea1eb5396
ref: Shinkawa2012substitutesimmigrant
times-cited: '4'
title: Substitutes for Immigrants? Social Policy Responses to Population Decreases
  in Japan
type: Article
unique-id: WOS:000306077100007
usage-count-last-180-days: '0'
usage-count-since-2013: '29'
volume: '56'
web-of-science-categories: Psychology, Clinical; Social Sciences, Interdisciplinary
year: '2012'