The Liberal Democratic Party's General Council approved on Tuesday a government-drafted bill on immigration control, which will introduce new visa statuses for blue-collar and skilled workers, despite concerns within the party over whether the country can properly handle the possible influx of workers and the issues that may present.
Approval by the ruling party's top decision-making body Tuesday followed hours of discussion and debate at the LDP's Judicial Affairs Division throughout Monday.
Party members there raised concerns over whether the eligibility criteria for the visas were strict enough and how the inflow of long-term foreign workers would affect Japan's pension scheme and medical welfare system.