Asia | Open wide your gates

Japan and South Korea are allowing in some foreign workers

They will need to be much more liberal to sustain their economies

JEONGEUP, SOUTH KOREA -- SUNDAY, JULY 26, 2020: Promdeth Phonsrikaew, far left, returns home after fishing with fellow Thai migrant workers in Jeongeup, South Korea, on July 26, 2020. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
|SEOUL AND YOKOHAMA

THE ubiquitous rule-giving signs of the Icho Danchi district on the outskirts of Yokohama, near Tokyo, speak far more languages than any of its residents could. Motorcycle riding is restricted in Chinese, English, Japanese, Spanish and Vietnamese. Instructions for sorting rubbish, a particularly finicky part of Japanese daily life, are offered in 11, including Portuguese.

This article appeared in the Asia section of the print edition under the headline “Open wide your gates”

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