[Kameda Seika/Chairman] Indian-born Lek Juneja: "Japan has no choice but to accept more immigrants"

　According to the Japan Times...

Niigata –

The Indian-born CEO of one of the most famous snack brands in Japan said,To restore Japan's economy to its booming glory, the country needs to change its mindset and embrace more immigrants, he warns.did.

Politicians have struggled for years to recover from the so-called lost decade after a range of policies, including ultra-loose monetary policy and trillions of dollars of stimulus packages, failed to spur growth.

As Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's new government looks at new efforts to restore Japan's heyday of global tech dominance, Lek Juneja, president of rice snack giant Kameda Seika, said he fears his new home is losing its edge.

(slightly)

Kameda's expansion mirrored Japan's postwar economic boom, and revenues increased tenfold between 1965 and 1974, becoming synonymous with the nation's beloved rice crackers in the process..

But the country that gave the world the Sony Walkman, the Shinkansen and Super Mario is no longer at the forefront of technology, having been overtaken by Silicon Valley in the US, South Korea and China.

In the late 1980s, Japan dominated the top 10 companies in the world by market capitalization. Today, there are no Japanese companies on that list.

The population is ageing and projected to fall by almost a third over the next 50 years, and companies are already having trouble filling vacancies.

Although Japan has relaxed restrictions in recent years, it does not rely heavily on immigration as a solution.

Juneja (1984), who first came to Japan in 72 and previously worked for a food ingredient manufacturer and a pharmaceutical company,Japan has "no choice" but to accept more immigrantsSaid.

"It's not just about numbers. It's also about mindset and culture. We need to globalize." he said.

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[Posted by Tadao Yuasa]

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Source: https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2024/12/15/companies/india-born-kameda-ceo/

https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E4%BA%80%E7%94%B0%E8%A3%BD%E8%8F%93

Everyone's comments

• Goodbye Turtle
• I have no choice, I'll stop buying Kameda

Editor B’s opinion

An article by Kameda Seika Chairman Lek Juneja talking about immigration policy in Japan has attracted much interest and discussion. Chairman Juneja argues that Japan needs to accept more immigrants to restore economic growth, but this opinion is divided. While his proposal is based on the backdrop of practical issues such as population decline and labor shortages, careful discussion is needed about how immigration policy should be implemented and its impact.

Japan has experienced many years of economic stagnation and is still searching for a solution. Chairman Juneja says that it is important to diversify not only population issues but also ways of thinking and culture. However, when we look at how immigration policies have worked in other countries, we can see that there are not only success stories. In particular, Western countries have been challenged by social friction and economic impacts caused by immigration policies, and it is possible that similar concerns will arise in Japan.

Kameda Seika is a nationally popular snack brand that produces snacks such as "Kaki No Tane," and is a familiar company to many Japanese people. Therefore, it is not surprising that the company's CEO's comments are attracting attention. However, these comments may also have an impact on consumer sentiment and the brand's image. In particular, there are likely to be some segments of the population that are sensitive to a foreign CEO expressing his opinion on national policy. It will be interesting to see how this will affect Kameda Seika's business activities and sales.

Another important issue is how to protect Japanese culture and values ​​while advancing immigration policies. Rather than simply aiming for economic growth, we need to consider social harmony and long-term impacts. Given the influence of companies like Kameda Seika, the company's comments may be asking how it will contribute to Japanese society from a broader perspective.

Chairman Juneja's comments provide an important opportunity to think about the future of Japanese society in terms of immigration policy, but careful consideration is needed as to how and what the policy will be implemented. How to embrace diversity while avoiding social division will be a major challenge for Japan in the future.

Written by: Editorial Department B

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