Japan Immigration News

(JAPAN Forward)Immigration in Japan: Accepting Foreigners to Secure a Workforce

Release Date: 2025-06-16
Media: JAPAN Forward
Summary: In her book Is Japan Unwelcoming to Refugees?, Fusako Yanase explores how people of diverse backgrounds—by nationality, language, culture, or appearance—can live and thrive together in Japan. She emphasizes seeing foreign workers, international students, and refugees as equal members of society.

The article focuses on Japan's immigration and labor visa systems, highlighting three key programs:

Specified Skilled Worker (SSW):
Introduced in 2019 to address labor shortages in 16 industries. While it requires technical and language skills, standards are more flexible. Visa holders receive structured support for daily life, language learning, and workplace issues. Job changes within the same industry are allowed.

Technical Intern Training Program:
Initially aimed at aiding developing countries through skill transfer, this program now serves mostly as a source of low-cost labor, often involving worker exploitation. Around 410,000 workers are under this system.

Employment for Skill Development:
Announced in 2024 to replace the flawed Technical Intern Program by 2027. It focuses on training workers to reach the SSW level over three years. A transition period will last until 2030.

As of October 2024, Japan had over 2.3 million foreign workers, mainly from Vietnam, China, and the Philippines. To promote integration, the government has expanded support for legal foreign residents in areas like employment, language education, and community participation. However, these benefits do not extend to undocumented residents.
Tags: Immigration Policy

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