asylum seekers to live in suburbia, page-52

Yes, Japan is in decline and one of the major reasons Japan's standard of living is declining is because they have a declining population and in particular, a higher burden of the elderly for the diminishing younger workers to support.

http://www.smh.com.au/world/japanese-population-decline-picks-up-the-pace-20100103-lnf9.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_Japan#Age_structure

If a country cannot increase it's birth rate, it must at least maintain good demographics by immigration, which is anathema to the Japanese.