Commentary / Japan May 13, 2019
by Shaun O'dwyer
There are some strategies by which Japanese and foreign advocates for migrants can argue for their rights to work and belong in Japan.
National Dec 20, 2018
Japan to regularly release figures for foreign workers by region and sector under new visa system
The government said Thursday it plans to regularly release data on the number of foreign nationals working in Japan under a new visa system from April, as part of its efforts to avoid having them concentrate in large cities. Regional communities face more severe labor ...
Editorials Dec 10, 2018
Unless the government ensures immigrants get the support necessary to have a decent life, it will lose the growing competition among countries to attract foreign workers.
National Dec 2, 2018
To pass the test, applicants will need to have Japanese skills good enough for daily life.
National Nov 3, 2018
Japan's proposed new visa system to woo foreign workers a major shift, yet challenges abound
by Noriyuki Suzuki
The envisaged creation of a new visa program for foreign workers may help ease shortages, but the obstacles to opening up Japan’s labor market are manifold.
National / Media | MEDIA MIX Oct 27, 2018
Proposed reform to Japan's immigration law causes concern
by Philip Brasor
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe receives a lot of grief from left-leaning pundits who consider his policies and outlook regressive, but right-leaning commentators aren't always enamored of the country’s leader either. They voice frustration at his refusal to visit the controversial Yasukuni Shrine and find ...
National Jul 3, 2018
Clothing manufacturer in Ehime loses license to host foreign trainees over visa violation
A clothing manufacturer in Ehime Prefecture was stripped Tuesday of its license to host foreign trainees under a government program, following a violation of immigration law by two Chinese workers and a company executive. It marked the first revocation since a new law aimed at ...
National Jun 14, 2017
Tokyo's Filipino housekeepers arrive as part of program to bolster sagging labor numbers
by Kazuaki Nagata
Housekeeping operators are looking to increase more foreign maids in Tokyo, taking advantage of a special deregulation-zone system, as the need for such services is expected to grow. Two Filipinas, Jocelyn Paloma Oledan and Marianne Paragua Culaniban, on Wednesday flew from Manila to Tokyo's Haneda ...
National Feb 21, 2017
Japan aims to attract more foreign workers amid growth in tourism
The government compiled a plan Tuesday to ease visa restrictions for foreign workers in designated special economic zones to address the growing need for tourism services. The move signals a shift in the nation's immigration policy, which has traditionally focused on allowing only highly skilled ...
Commentary / Japan Nov 28, 2016
Despite legislation, danger of exploiting foreign workers remains
by Walt Gardner
Rather than relying on foreign "trainees" to compensate for labor shortages, Japan should establish apprenticeship programs to give citizens needed skills.
National Nov 3, 2016
Japan quietly accepting foreign workers — just don't call it immigration
by Enda Curran
Send us your construction workers, your care givers, your store clerks — but for a limited time only. That's the message from Japan, where the number of foreign workers, though still relatively small, has nearly doubled over the past eight years, and Prime Minister Shinzo ...
National May 12, 2016
Japan's foreign workers policy riddled with contradictions, says lawmaker
by Tomohiro Osaki
As the government tells it, Japan doesn't accept unskilled foreign labor. Except it does. For example, a state-sponsored technical internship program brings in a slew of foreign "trainees" every year, ostensibly to provide instruction in advanced industrial methods. But in reality, the trainees provide a ...