Assessing the article's currency, this article was published a month back, which is relatively recent. The article is making a long term analysis as it referenced the need to welcome 10 million immigrants from now till 2050, hence the issue is valid because such a current and future issue will be monitored and reiterated in the news for the coming decades. Furthermore, there has been no major changes regarding foreign policies in Japan since the publication date and hence proves that timeliness is present.
Under relevance, the article concerns about Japan's rapid decline in population and the need for Japan to open its doors for immigrants. There are pros and cons connected with inviting more foreigners but would it be a wise approach to just welcome immigrants for the sake of putting a brake to the accelerating population decline? And does it give a solution to those problem that Japan is facing such as stagnating economy or shifting away the reliance on nuclear energy? This is also relevant to us locally and many of the developed nations. In Singapore, foreign workforce policies are less tight compared to Japan, a sustainable supply in manpower is needed. The National Population and Talent Division stated this month that Singapore has little choice but to turn to foreign sources to fill the positions of construction labourers or healthcare sectors as they play a role in supporting Singaporean families. The question remains as to whether society in Japan is ready for it, because even immigrant nations like the US and Singapore is have never been entirely free from cultural friction.
In analysing authority, the article is written by a regular contributor of The Japan Times, who is also a media columnist and author of the book 'Big in Japan'. Established in 1897, The Japan Times is the only independent