No no no, don’t say that. Your water, roads, sewage, and electricity have not been universally solved. It has nothing to do with better opportunities. It’s a shithole you guys are not committing to fixing.

'chased' is putting it mildly.

> The downside is that the people leaving also tend to be the most capable of producing that change

Some % of people, yes. But not everyone leaves. As long as enough brilliant people remain and there can be economic and scientific progress breaking the shackles of a millennia of rule, things can become right. These things are slow and take time though.

In that case, Japan would be even worse, because the Tokio metropolitan area is a human anthill.

That can't be it.