立論集

Japan should significantly relax its immigration policies.
日本は,移民政策を大幅に緩和すべきである。是か,否か。
(第5回埼玉いなほカップ・第5回全国高校生英語ディベート大会論題)(2010)

Affirmative Constructive Speech
We believe that Japan should significantly relax its immigration policies.

 

In our plan, we have 3 points.

1. Immigrants should be accepted step by step.

 

2. The school for immigrants will be established.

 

3. Immigrants are imposed a duty of taxes like Japanese. They join the social security system.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Advantage 1:Japanese economy will improve.

 

 

<Present Situation>

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today, Japanese labor force is decreasing and aging.The lack of young labor force is often reported by TV or newspapers in many industries in Japan.For example, agriculture industry, the marine products industry, forest industry, nursing, construction industry, the food-service industry and so on, because Japanese people do not want to work in the manual labor industries. These industries are in short of young labor force.If we leave the today’s situation, many Japanese industries will be lost.According to the prediction of Japanese labor force by the ministry of labor, Japanese labor force will be about 60% of the present labor force by 2055.

 

 

 

 

 

<Effect>

However, if we carry out our plan, Japan can have more young labor force from abroad.The demand of labor force will be satisfied.Immigrants will be willing to work in such physical labor industries, because they can make much more money than they do in their countries.And new immigrants will produce the new incentive to the Japanese economy, because new immigrants will buy daily necessities for living such as televisions, refrigerators, washing machines, food and so on.If they have children, they will spend more.This will lead to Japanese economic growth.

<Importance>

This advantage is important because, if we do nothing, many industries will be lost by the serious shortage of young labor force.Japanese economy will be weakened.

 

 

 

 

 

Advantage2: More tax revenue

 

 

<Present Situation>

 

 

 

 

 

 

Japan has been aging much more rapidly than we expected even though the world population has been increasing.The number of young people in Japan is going down steeply and the number of the elderly people is increasing greatly.By 2055, one worker has to support about 1.3 children and elderly people in Japan. Today, Japanese expenditure is increasing because we need more and more money for the aging society, however Japanese tax revenue is decreasing year by year.Japan will go bankrupt like Greece.

<Effect>

However, if we carry out our plan, more immigrants will come to Japan.They will pay many kinds of taxes such as consumption tax, income tax, residents’ tax, pension, property tax.We predict at least 10 million immigrants will be totally accepted in Japan.

 

 

 

 

 

 

<Importance>

This advantage is important.Japanese national debt is the worst in the world.The tax revenue is dropping, however the expenditure is increasing.How can we increase the tax revenue?The best solution is to accept more immigrants.Government policy for aging society is not effective or it will take 30 or 40 years to take effect.We cannot wait so long.Our plan is the only way to solve this problem. For these reasons, we should carry out our plan.

 

Negative Constructive Speech

 

Disadvantage 1:

It costs too much to support the immigrants.

 

Present Situation:

According to the survey of the Immigration Bureau in 2008, there are 2 million immigrants now in Japan, and the number is rising.Toyota city in Aichi prefecture, reports that in 2008 that they spent about 150 million yen a year to support the needs of .foreigners. With today’s economic problems ,we believe this is too much.

Effect:

After adopting the immigration plain, more foreign people will live in Japan. We have some questions. We have some questions about this.

 

A. Isn’t it difficult to adjust themselves to the new society?How will they do basic things to live here such as registration for school, work and government benefits?

 

B. Isn’t it necessary to provide them with official assistance? In today’s economy how will this be achieved?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Importance:

According to the Chubu Bureau of Economy, Trade and industry METI, or 中部経済産業局, if Japan receives immigrants from 2005 to 2025, it costs about 5 trillion yen. This means that the government must prepare the expense to accept the immigrants, and that will definitely cost a lot. Judging from the present economic situation of Japan, it is impossible to have more immigrants in Japan and if we accept them the, Japanese economy will collapse.

 

Disavantage 2:

It would increase unemployment for immigants currently in Japan.

 

 

 

Present situation:

Companies in Japan, especially in the field of manufacturing, are still struggling to recover from the declining economy. There are less job opportunities for Japanese, and even less for immigrants.

 

Asahi Shinbun, January 2010, quote, “the immigration control law was revised in 1990 to grant resident status without employment restrictions to second and third generation Japanese. This led to a steady inflow of unskilled workers, mainly from Brazil and Peru. But now, unemployment has become a problem among these nikkeijin, as manufacturers have closed their factories amid dwindling demand in the struggling economy” unquote. According to the Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare 2009, there are currently 563,000 immigrants from other countries working in Japan.

 

 

 

 

 

Effect:

If more immigrants are accepted into Japan, it would decrease job opportunities for these immigrants, possibly leading to the decline of Japanese economy.

 

 

 

 

 

Importance:

 

In order to maintain and support the Japanese economy, we need to focus on the immigrant workers currently in Japan.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For these reasons, we strongly beg to oppose. Thank you.