Most companies support loosening the country's tight immigration system to cope with a severe labor shortage, but they favor skilled workers who can fit into the workplace, not an influx of unskilled laborers, a poll shows.
The labor market in fast-aging Japan is its tightest in nearly half a century and the government has cracked open the door to allow foreigners to work in such areas as farming, car factories and convenience stores.
But in a society that has long prized its homogeneity, the government is adamant these steps do not amount to open immigration.