Nearly 350 of the first group of non-Japanese nationals applying for newly created visas to work in Japan's food service industry have passed a qualifying exam, the implementing body has said.
The Organization for Technical Skill Assessment of Foreign Workers in Food Industry said Tuesday that 347, or 75.4 percent, of 460 examinees cleared the language and skills tests held in Tokyo and Osaka last month.
The successful candidates are expected to start working possibly from July, according to the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry, which oversees the food service industry. That sector, which includes restaurants and catering, is among 14 designated as in scope for foreign nationals working under a residence status called Specified Skilled Worker No. 1, which grants a stay of up to five years. The new visa status was introduced on April 1 to cope with the chronic labor shortage arising from the country's rapidly graying and shrinking population, marking a major policy shift from its traditionally strict immigration rules.