At a time when the anti-immigration debate is heating up not only in the United States but also in other parts of the world, the Abe administration has proposed a bill to reform the nation's foreign labor regulations and accept more workers from overseas. Does this mean that Japan is going against the global trend or is the nation's labor shortage so severe that the reform is urgent?
The debate around the proposed amendment to the immigration control law appears to focus on several fronts. Some criticize the new program's lack of clarity and specifics, and argue that clearer definitions and limitation are required. For example, what sectors (so far it seems about a dozen or so) will be allowed to use "type 1" category foreign labor under the bill and what specific skills will be required to qualify for the "type 2" category visa status are not clearly defined.
Another cause for opposition is that the Abe administration is busy pushing the legislation through the Diet without sufficient discussion and debate, citing the severe domestic labor shortage as an excuse. Some charge that the move is opening a Pandora's box that will lead to unexpected consequences such as an oversupply of labor once the current economic boom is over and the baby boomer retirement surge finishes.