Doing a Machine Learning PhD While Working in Japan

This sounds SO.MUCH. like the type of hedging academic writing I despise

  Doing a PhD is difficult and isolating, which is exacerbated by being an international student in an unfamiliar country. And so, while I overall very much enjoyed my time there and have freely recommended it to many people, the decision to pursue a PhD in Japan should always be considered carefully.

I would worry more about AI automating your PhD than whether you did it in Japan or EU