For many investors and intellectuals leaving China, it's Japan — not the US — that's the bigger draw

Well-heeled Chinese are moving to Japan in droves, buying up homes and harboring hopes for opportunities. Some are scholars and artists. Others are dot-com entrepreneurs. So many wealthy Chinese have bought apartments in luxury high-rises in Tokyo that some areas have been dubbed “Chinatowns,” or “Digital Chinatowns.” Japan's proximity to China is a plus, as well as the country’s ease of living and rich culture. Immigration policies favor highly skilled professionals, and Japan has less of the sharp anti-immigrant backlash sometimes seen in Western countries.