SUN SET, SUN SET:

Immigration could be answer but reluctance remains high (MAYUMI NEGISHI, 10/04/07, Reuters)

The economy includes 600,000 registered foreign workers and an estimated 178,000 illegal workers.

In a homogenous country traditionally wary of outsiders, foreign workers are seen as a last resort to boost the shrinking workforce.

Instead, the preference is to bring more women into the workforce, keep senior citizens working and even resort to robots — but experts say these steps will not be enough to fill the hole left in the labor force as the population ages.

The government estimates the workforce will plunge 16 percent by 2030 to 56 million unless the labor participation rate picks up.

A decline of that size would strain the public and corporate pension systems as payouts rise while the number of people paying in drops.

The government would also receive less tax revenues to fund its spending plans, putting additional strain on its finances, economists say. The public debt is already equivalent to 150 percent of national income.