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Aso's view of Japan as "one country, one race, one culture, one civilization" (despite its many problems) is, nevertheless, characteristic of conservative Japanese thinking, which is a dominant force in Japanese politics. So in that respect, I doubt immigration will open up very much. Indeed, you will notice that Japan is experimenting with immigration from people of Japanese racial descent, which is something akin to having your cake and eating it too. Obviously a healthy dose of immigration is necessary to keep afloat its aging society, but the Japanese are still too race- and culture-conscious to consider Western-style citizenship rules for people not of Japanese descent.
Which is just as well, in some respects, because from what I've read of discrimination in Japanese society there is still a great deal of xenophobia. In that respect, a large influx of immigrants will probably stir up the pot even more. Consequently, I don't think Japan will ever become as cosmopolitan as the West (barring some major changes in political and social culture). It's not that kind of country.
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