Japan Immigration News

Farm stresses foreign workers' vital role in Japan as politicians eye tighter immigration

Release Date: 2026-02-04
Media: The Mainichi
Summary: Amid political calls in Japan for stricter controls on foreign nationals, an agricultural company in Kurume, Fukuoka Prefecture highlights how indispensable foreign workers have become to sustaining rural economies. Vegecirque Co., a vegetable producer led by Asaya Ogata, now employs 14 foreign workers out of 16 staff members, mainly from Vietnam, the Philippines and Indonesia, after struggling to retain Japanese workers due to the demanding nature of farm labor.

With Japan’s farming population rapidly shrinking and aging—core agricultural workers have fallen about 40% over the past decade—foreign technical interns and specified skilled workers have increasingly filled the gap. At Vegecirque, foreign employees not only support daily operations but have also contributed to business growth, such as introducing new crops like coriander and water spinach that found strong demand among Vietnamese restaurants.

Government projections assume that productivity gains and increased participation by women and elderly Japanese workers will offset labor shortages, while capping foreign agricultural workers at around 100,000 over five years. However, Ogata and others in the field argue such expectations are unrealistic, noting that agriculture remains labor-intensive and difficult to mechanize.

As debates continue over tightening immigration and residency policies, rural businesses warn that focusing on nationality rather than actual labor needs risks undermining entire communities. Ogata stresses that Japan’s future depends on recognizing on-the-ground realities and pursuing coexistence policies that support both Japanese and foreign residents, rather than relying on restrictive, top-down regulations.
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