Abe did that. It's very easy to immigrate to Japan. The reason this succeeded is that nobody in the country noticed, which is why you don't know about it.
It's not that attractive to Westerners if only because wages are low so you can't pay off those student loans.
(Immigrate as in get into the country on a work visa, not as in get permanent residency - that's doable on a "highly skilled professional" visa though.)
What are you comparing with? Wages are not that low relative to the remainder of the developed world and student loans aren't that high outside the US. The US is the main outlier here, not the other way around.
Wages of English teaching are lower than jobs you can get in the US. Or for that matter tech companies, though it's fine if you work for an international company.
English teaching is a pretty obvious low-barrier outlier. Otherwise, you're confirming the US as your main point of comparison, without realizing the US is the primary outlier here. Compare the US to any other developed country and it becomes fairly evident why.
It is? Last time I checked a few years ago it was still rather onerous and was only easy for very highly skilled individuals, not just normal professionals.
You’re probably looking at the requirements for early access to permanent residency.
Work visa’s for skilled work categories in Japan aren’t particularly hard to come by. You just need a qualification or a few years relevant work experience.
You can still get in if you get a work visa, and it's not that difficult to get one if someone wants to employ you. (If you have a four year college degree.)
It's not that attractive to Westerners if only because wages are low so you can't pay off those student loans.
(Immigrate as in get into the country on a work visa, not as in get permanent residency - that's doable on a "highly skilled professional" visa though.)