Is it really that difficult a concept to grasp ?<p>If a single big company fails then you have an instant drop in tax receipts and a rise in benefits. The communities in which the business is located instantly suffers which then flows through to supporting businesses also going under. All of which puts immediate pressure on the job market as you have lots of skilled people looking for work.<p>And nobody is saying that problems associated Japan&#x27;s shrinking population of working adults are going to manifest immediately. It&#x27;s a long term macroeconomic trend which when you combine with an ageing population means significant structural risks. Every Western country e.g. UK, US, Australia, Europe all have quite sizeable immigration rates purely to cater for these risks.