It's obvious that there's a distinction between technological change and social/cultural change.
Japanese strike me as very conservative when it comes to social/cultural shifts. Compare it to Taiwan, for example, and there is a big difference (to be fair, Taiwan probably has less cultural history to begin with).
Yet they refuse to change some social/cultural values. What makes this a phobia worth pathologizing, instead of a legitimate preference deserving of respect?
For example, when Kashmir decried being stripped of autonomy [1], were they also just being phobic and terrified of change?
[1] Kashmir’s new status could bring demographic change, drawing comparisons to the West Bank - https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2019/08/08/kashmirs-new...
As far as I can tell, folks are just commenting on how this affects their demographics and ability to scale social services in the coming decades as their tax base shrinks. That's a real problem.
I don't see how you read any other intent.
In general, "xenophobia" is a frequent accusation against those that don't want mass immigration.