@unseenjapan This sounds like a terrible idea. First, if it does happen, I don't trust them to phase out the system if the yen recovers. I also doubt it could be done in a way that wouldn't hurt people from less developed countries, especially if their currencies aren't as strong as the USD, EUR, GBP etc. It's also not as if every currency is experiencing historic highs in their value towards the yen. I looked at a few, and despite rising in recent years, the value of the Brazilian Real to the Yen is 32% less than it was 10 years ago. The Indian Rupee and Malaysian Ringgit are better at +7.32% and +2.17% compared to March 2014, but they're still lower than their peaks in late 2014.

I think discussing whether or not exchange rates are unfair is a waste of time. It's not as if there's a natural value that they should always return to, and I never heard anyone discuss lower prices for tourists when the yen had more value in the early 2010s. Compared to the GBP, I don't even think the Yen is particularly cheap at the moment. There were times when it went as high as 232 yen per pound when I first visited in late 2006.

@globalmuseum @jemmesedi From what I understand, it's being discontinued due to the workload it's causing the monks, not because of a shortage of participants. Immigration policy probably isn't going to fix this issue unless there's a large number of zen/chan Buddhist priests or monks that want to practise in Japan.

IMO, companies reluctance to hire people over 28 for all but a few jobs that require specialized skills is more of an issue than immigration policy. It's actually quite easy to immigrate to Japan in theory. You just need a degree or 10 years of professional experience and an offer for a job that you're qualified for at the same pay/conditions as a Japanese national. Changes in immigration policy would mainly affect chronically understaffed jobs like delivery drivers and caregivers.