Japan’s population plan leans on robots and open borders

A demographic reckoning forces a rethink few in Tokyo wanted to have.

In Tokyo, the change was felt first by the people who track it for a living. Analysts were divided on how durable the shift will prove.

The story, as ever, is in the distribution: who gains, who waits, and how long the advantage lasts once the initial momentum fades. That is the question this week leaves open.