Is this "as" "because" or "incremental change= while somethings increases or decreases"?
ex)As Japan faces a serious labor shortage with its aging population, it has been told to open itself up to immigration. However, the Japanese government is actively encouraging both foreign workers and foreign graduates of its universities to return home....
because
Not really- the natural interpretation is because- the incremental change doesn't go well with the present perfect here IMO.