The number of foreign workers under Japan’s specified skilled worker’s visa reached 251,747 at the end of June, a 20.8% increase compared with six months ago, the latest data from the Immigration Services Agency shows.

The government is aiming to attract 820,000 foreign workers under the specified skilled worker program over a five-year period through April 2029, which is twice the number seen over the previous five-year period. Japan has been steadily expanding the list of designated industry sectors eligible for the visa framework to meet increasing labor demands.

Labor shortages are forcing companies to seek talent from overseas. Japanese retail giant Aeon, which operates supermarket chains such as My Basket and Maruetsu, announced in June that it plans to hire 4,000 foreign workers under the specified skills visa framework by 2030.

The top five countries of origin for workers are Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines, Myanmar and China. As of June, over half of the specified skills visa holders came from Vietnam, or 126,832. The number of workers from Myanmar jumped by 60.5% compared to December 2023, reaching 19,059 as of June 2024.

By industry, a total of 70,213, or 27.9% of visa holders, work in food manufacturing, making it the largest share among the designated industries under the visa framework. It is followed by machinery and telecommunication-related manufacturing, which accounts for 17.5%, caregiving at 14.6%, construction at 12.7% and agriculture at 11%.

Aichi Prefecture hosts the most foreign workers under the visa program, with 20,757.

The specified skilled worker program was first launched in 2019 with two categories in place. Under Type 1, foreign workers who possess basic Japanese language proficiency and industrial skills are allowed to work in the country for a maximum of five years.

Under Type 2, workers are allowed to stay in Japan indefinitely if they possess advanced skills in a specific industry. They can also bring their spouses and children if certain requirements are met.

By the end of June, a total of 251,594 foreign workers had a Type 1 visa while 153 people had a Type 2 visa.

Foreign technical intern trainees are also eligible to change their visa status to a specified skilled worker visa if certain conditions are met. About 62.8% of the current specified skills visa holders had acquired that status through the technical intern training program.

A revision of the immigration law that cleared parliament in June will replace the current technical foreign intern program — which has been criticized for human rights violations — with a new system that aims to train foreign workers to a certain level of skill proficiency within three years, and ultimately leads to long-term residency under the specified skilled workers program.