Your harsh judgements of Japan&#x27;s trajectory make assumptions that are not evidently true (to me).<p>What do you mean, &quot;<i>problems</i> with low fertility&quot;? That looks a highly desirable outcome to me, a blessing in disguise.<p>Sure, most governments run Ponzi-like schemes and depend on &quot;exponential growth&quot; all around to finance themselves (pensions), but that&#x27;s an economic snafu. Ultimately unsustainable in any case.<p>Not sure where this mentality of &quot;more is always better&quot; comes from. You could argue Japan would still be overpopulated even at half its current population.<p><i>Random thought</i>: being &quot;extremely xenophobic&quot; seems desirable (necessary?) for such reversal process to stand a chance. Otherwise the country would be overrun by people who simply procreate more (aka race to the bottom when it comes to quality of life). Should maximum procreation trump everything else?