> Japan's poor economic growth during over the last 10-20 years.
Per capita GDP growth in Japan over the last 20 years has been about the same as in the USA. They just don't import two million people a year -- rather wisely in my opinion.
There are proposals to increase immigration in Japan to offset the projected population decrease due to low birth rate. It's expected to drop by over 50 million people before stabilizing without increased immigration.
Well what's the point of letting large numbers of people in if it fails to make those already here better off? And that's pretty clearly the case. That there's space to accommodate them is irrelevant.
Also, considering issues like fresh water and food security, the country is in fact full. Japan maybe super-overfull, but the US is definitely full or overpopulated.
> Well what's the point of letting large numbers of people in if it fails to make those already here better off?
So in your view, it doesn't matter if the immigrants themselves are better off?
> Also, considering issues like fresh water and food security, the country is in fact full.
No it isn't. The EU has 820,000 km2 of arable land and 1,900 km3 of renewable water resources, and is self-sufficient in terms of food and water for a population of 490 million.
The US, on the other hand, has 1,650,000 km2 of arable land and 3,000 km3 of renewable water, and only has a population of 310 million. The US could easily support a population of 500 million or more without needing to import water or food.
> it doesn't matter if the immigrants themselves are better off?
In a world with about four billion people who would be better off moving to America, no.
> No it isn't.
It is true that we could turn America into India, bursting at the seems with people fed on poor rice and vegetable diets, and with poor access to open space. I happen to think that's a very bad idea. It's also probably unsustainable. Top soils are running down world-wide, including in America.
The US is ecologically over-full. We share this country with animals and plants, and they are suffering. The ideal sustainable population of America is probably down towards 200 million.
> It is true that we could turn America into India, bursting at the seems with people fed on poor rice and vegetable diets, and with poor access to open space.
Who said anything about India? The EU has almost twice the population of the US, half the arable land area, and still manages to be self-sufficient in terms of food and water.
> The US is ecologically over-full. We share this country with animals and plants, and they are suffering.
So in your opinion it's better to let humans suffer than animals and plants?
Per capita GDP growth in Japan over the last 20 years has been about the same as in the USA. They just don't import two million people a year -- rather wisely in my opinion.