Westerners hearing of Japan's declining population often comment, "Gee, that must be nice." Let's just stop immigration for a bit, they say, until infrastructure, housing, and services catch up. If immigration is inseperable from progress, so be it. If Japan's being stuck in the year 2000 since 1980 hasn't been disastrous, then stopping time in 2025 should provide ample comfort. As much as that sentiment comes from a place of contentment with the way things are (if not discontent with the way they are heading), it misses something important.