You need to learn some darwinism. You are too devoted to stretching out trend lines that, experience shows, are more like waves than cliffs.

If you had been writing in England in 1350, you'd have had the English extinct by 1400.

"recipe for decline" Japanese may or may not decline, but if they allow too many immigrants from Korea, will they not become less Japanese and more Korean, and is that not also a decline in their "Japaneseness"

Yes, Japaneseness is killing them but they're going down with the ship.

Well you choose your poison.

I don't think they will decline (economically, spiritually, or any other way), though yes there might be a population decline. You're too quick to compare them to Boomers at a Starbucks.

Bottomline, they have gonads. If they get into another war, it's Happy Days Again.

You send young men to fight wars--they've none.

There are enough to take care of North Korea. Japanese have been there, they already know the lay of the land. Koreans remember if you don't.

The North Koreans have humiliated them repeatedly over the past several years--they don't seem too scared.

The US has held them back, with our peculiar ideas of what peace is (which sometimes means dropping to your knees). But now that Bush is President, and there is no Carter or Clinton, they may feel different.

They know the "sacred wind" will protect them even if the US is gone.

Held them back? Their governmment may fall over sending peacekeepers to Iraq. You think they wanted to attack North Korea but we stopped them?

OK, a little bit of tongue in cheek on my part, but the Japanese, are redeemable as you say.

Regarding immigration, which was the original topic, all I can say is that unlike some countries which will go nameless, they like themselves, and their culture as it is.

h:

Then why doin't they bring children into it?

Dang good question, Why are Americans abandoning marriage and families in droves (except homos)?

Your solution of importing young low wage workers to solve this problem and other problems (wealth tranfers from younger low wage workers to older non-workers) is only a temporary solution at best and don't forget the younger immigrants will get older and then demand more "fresh meat" into the system.

By the way, regarding my earlier posts on Japanese Warrior Culture, you can consider that my own fantasy of the way things should be and not as they are. When the US is committed to defending the Japanese, one result will be the lack of diligence on the part of Japan to defend themselves. (same as with Europe)

h:

First, they aren't.

Second, immigrants will keep coming; it's not temporary.

Populations fluctuate, Orrin. Once started up, they don't go up forever, and once started down, there's no instance in history where one went down to zero.

There are plenty of Japanese babies now (I see them on the streets here all the time). In the late 1950s, the government of Japan considered overpopulation still a serious problem.

They've got that under control to their satisfaction. At some point, probably, people will start wanting larger families. It may be that the government will get anxious and try to hurry them along.

Despite your fantasies and French handwringing about lack of babies since 1870, there are more Frenchmen now than there were then.

Yes, and what's happened to France's position in the world?

Perhaps the more accurate question would be what France's position in the world would be absent the rise of a continent spanning global superpower.

Not to defend France, but regardless of anything else, the emergence of the US would cause a reduction of France's position in the world.

Jeff:

That makes it a less significant power than Israel, Taiwan, Singapore, Hong Kong, Ireland...?