ALSA 2025 meeting

According to IMF statistics, Japan's nominal GDP per capita has fallen to 38th place (2024). Aside from the ranking, the fact that the figure has not increased for over 30 years and has been declining in recent years is a bigger problem. Japan's relative decline in economic power is leading to a loss of confidence in the structure of Japanese society and among the Japanese people, bringing about various changes. One of the biggest changes is how we interact with foreigners.
For many years, Japan and the Japanese people have had a strong sense of confidence in their title of "advanced nation," and have believed that they are superior in every way, especially to other Asian countries. However, this is an illusion, and Japan and the Japanese people, who have neglected to change, are likely to perceive diversity as "fear." What lies ahead is a new "攘夷"(JYOU-I, expulsion of foreigners) policy in the 21st century, and a further decline in Japan's international status.
In this session, researchers in their 30s to 60s with extensive knowledge of Asian countries will discuss the vulnerability of Japanese society from various perspectives, including community, education, information, and law, and consider the role of law and society.

Accepting foreign talent is not so easy these days. Japan's declining competitiveness means that it is no longer an attractive labor market, and it is falling far behind in the race to attract foreign workers. However, more serious than these issues is the fact that Japanese society as a whole is intolerant of foreigners, or, to put it more simply, that it feels "fear" towards them. It seems that even the Japanese themselves have a certain belief that "Japanese people are weak," and this "belief" is likely to be contributing to the xenophobic style of Japanese society.
In this report, I will ask the question, "Are the Japanese weak?" and approach the essence of the problem, especially from the perspective of education, while taking into account Japan's modern history. More specifically, through an analysis of social studies education after the Pacific War, I would like to clarify why Japanese people have come to believe that Japanese society is weak.