If foreign workers are struggling, so are Japanese workers — the real issue is the profit structure.
Read the original article (in Japanese):
農林業、給与少なく労働時間長い 外国人労働者の雇用環境改善急務 / 日本農業新聞
Chapter 1: Rethinking the Narrative on Foreign Labor
Headlines often focus on low wages and long hours endured by foreign workers in agriculture and other sectors. This provokes immediate cries of exploitation. But the real issue isn’t that these workers are foreign—it’s that the working environments are so poor, only foreign labor is willing to take the jobs. The true problem is the persistent neglect of these conditions.
This isn’t only about foreigners. The same poor conditions apply to Japanese workers, too. Without tackling the structural causes, nothing will change. Pointing to foreign worker exploitation misses the point entirely.
Chapter 2: Wages Don’t Rise Without Competition
Wages rise only when companies compete for labor. As employers battle to secure talent, they raise compensation. Weaker firms are eliminated, and human capital shifts toward more productive employers. This cycle boosts overall wage levels.
This is the natural employment cycle in a functioning capitalist economy.
In Japan, however, this dynamic has been obstructed. Subsidies and policy protections allow uncompetitive firms to survive, suppressing competition and keeping wages stagnant.
Labor shortages → competition for talent
Competition → wage pressure
Weak firms fail → labor reallocates to stronger sectors
Instead of encouraging this cycle, Japan has a history of avoiding it—through hiring freezes during the "employment ice age," temporary staffing, and dependence on foreign labor.
Chapter 3: How Foreign Labor Undermines Wage Pressure
One structural failure that reinforces low wages is the institutionalized availability of cheap foreign labor. Sectors that should have raised wages to attract workers are allowed to sidestep the pressure by importing labor instead.
This isn’t just convenient for employers—it’s devastating for wage growth. The presence of this safety valve removes the incentive to improve pay and conditions, entrenching low-wage structures.
The question isn’t who works the jobs—but why these jobs remain underpaid by design.
Chapter 4: It’s Not a Foreign Labor Issue—It’s a Failure to Compete
High-wage models do exist in the same industries in other countries. Japan’s low-wage dependency is not inevitable—it’s a sign of strategic failure.
| Country | Key to Success |
|---|---|
| France | Branding and pricing power |
| Netherlands | ICT-based optimization and export focus |
| New Zealand | Efficient, export-driven models |
Japan lacks innovation, efficiency, and the will to compete.
These differences show up clearly in how industries are designed:
| Competitive Industries | Japanese Reality |
| Raise prices | Lower prices and race to the bottom |
| Build brand value | Standardize and erase uniqueness |
| Improve productivity | Compensate with long hours |
| Reinvest and recover | Protect vested interests |
The problem isn’t labor origin—it’s whether the model is designed to win.
Chapter 5: Subsidies Should Drive Innovation, Not Prolong Decay
Subsidies must be reframed as investments in the future. This means funding both technological innovation and overseas market expansion. These two elements must go hand-in-hand to ensure returns.
Technologies developed through public funding must be exportable. The return on investment lies in foreign markets, where Japan can recoup costs through global competitiveness.
| Subsidy Type | Purpose | Outcome |
| ✅ Transformative | Innovation, automation | Wage growth and industrial resilience |
| ❌ Preservation | Cost coverage, labor patchwork | Wage stagnation and structural weakness |
The key is how subsidies are targeted:
| Category | Ideal Use | Current Reality |
| Subsidy Purpose | Sustainable systems | Temporary job preservation |
| Recipients | Low-productivity, labor-poor sectors | All industries, even strong ones |
| Foreign Labor | Alternative, to be reduced | Institutionalized dependency |
Chapter 6: Japan Must Shift to a Future-Oriented Model
Japan must escape the mindset of simply “filling gaps with people.” With an aging, shrinking population, the only sustainable model is a high-efficiency society that operates with fewer workers.
This requires:
Labor-poor industries → Compress labor demand through technology
Compressed structures → Enable wage increases
Surplus labor → Redirect to growth sectors
Developed technologies → Drive structural change and boost productivity
Market development → Export solutions and recover investment
The path forward is a self-sustaining cycle of investment, innovation, and global competitiveness—not labor dependency.
Avoiding structural change and preserving outdated models will not lead to national prosperity. Only through competition, innovation, and resilience can Japan raise wages and build a truly sustainable society.
Read in Japanese ↓（For Japanese learners!）↓
外国人の低賃金労働が問題ではなく、産業の低賃金が問題なのだ（2025.10.24）
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