Benchmark

Japan Ranked Last Choice in Asia for Top Foreign Talent

World’s ‘fastest path’ to permanent residency not enough

University students walk through a job fair in Tokyo.
Photographer: Tomohiro Ohsumi

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By Henry Hoenig and Yuko Takeo

November 21, 2017 at 12:58 AM UTC

Updated on

November 21, 2017 at 2:58 AM UTC

This article is for subscribers only.

There’s bad news for Japan as it seeks the talent it needs to compete in the global economy with an aging, shrinking population.

Japan ranks last among 11 Asian nations in appeal to highly skilled foreigners, behind countries including Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia, according to the 2017 IMD World Talent Ranking released on Monday. Worldwide, Japan ranked 51st among 63 nations. Singapore ranked first in Asia, with Hong Kong second.