The public debate on Japan's aging society, low birthrate, shrinking population and labor shortage is read at the breakfast table almost daily. Although these are not new issues, recently the debate is heating up, triggered by several factors.

The three-year-old Tohoku reconstruction efforts have been plagued by a shortage of construction workers, which will become even more acute with Tokyo's successful bid to host the 2020 Olympics. The two programs are very important to the country, both to its economy and image.

The challenges posed by the actual and future shortage of labor are intrinsically interrelated with Japan's shrinking population, which has longer-term and deeper implications beyond 2020.