[midoridensha]

>but now you can get it in as little as 3 years.

Incorrect: it's 1 year if you score 80 points on the point list for the HSP visa, and 3 years if you score 70 points.

As far as I can tell, Japan has the easiest and most permissive immigration policies among developed nations, bar none. Compare with the "pro-immigration" US where there's strict limits on worker visas, H1-B holders have to leave the country very quickly (a week?) if they lose their job and can't find a new sponsor fast, there's strict limits on green cards (PR) with a lottery of all things, etc.