National Jan 18, 2020
by Ryusei Takahashi
A survey finds a large majority of Japanese believe the nation needs to create a more welcoming environment for foreign residents.
National / Social Issues Dec 29, 2019
Japan's immigration chief optimistic asylum and visa woes will improve in 2020
by Magdalena Osumi
With Japan expecting to welcome a record 40 million visitors in 2020, including for the Summer Games, immigration authorities are strengthening security to manage the influx and prevent abuse of their policies. "We need to enhance measures to prevent any terror attacks," said Shoko Sasaki, ...
Editorials Dec 15, 2019
To streamline and improve the system for inviting people from overseas to work in this country, the technical intern program should either be drastically overhauled or scrapped.
National Nov 13, 2019
Only 895 granted blue-collar visas since April, immigration agency admits
by Magdalena Osumi
The immigration service had issued just 895 working permits as of early November under the new visa system for skilled blue-collar foreign workers, a far lower number than had originally been forecast for this time, agency officials said Wednesday. The program, which was introduced in ...
National Nov 12, 2019
Japan's immigration agency to adopt stricter measures to curb disappearances of foreign trainees
by Magdalena Osumi
The agency will ban firms from taking in new trainees if they are found to have violated the program’s conditions and their trainees have gone missing.
Commentary / Japan Nov 8, 2019
Looking overseas to solve Japan's labor shortage
by Richard Solomon
Japan is running out of time. Where will migrants come from when the international competition for Asian workers heats up?
National Oct 9, 2019
Japan disqualifies groups supervising foreign trainees in Chiba and Saitama
The Immigration Services Agency and labor ministry have revoked the permits of two organizations that supervise foreign technical trainees, after finding that they had concluded improper deals with agencies seeking to send trainees to Japan. Arrangements entered into by supervisory bodies in the prefectures of ...
National Oct 4, 2019
Action taken against 112 firms last year for abuses under Japan's foreign intern training program
by Magdalena Osumi
With cases of abuse ranging from trainees forced to pay illegal deposits to an intern who was forced to work 225 hours of overtime in a month, authorities last year took disciplinary action against 112 firms using the state-sponsored Technical Intern Training Program. The firms ...
National Sep 30, 2019
Japan's new Justice Minister Katsuyuki Kawai pledges reform with a focus on immigration
by Magdalena Osumi
On Friday, newly appointed Justice Minister Katsuyuki Kawai promised to reform his ministry, including a pledge to more stringently enforce laws and regulations related to immigration. Kawai said the increase of the foreign worker quota under a new visa program that took effect in April ...
National / Crime & Legal Sep 5, 2019
Three Vietnamese sue Fukushima firm over decontamination work at crippled nuclear facility
Three Vietnamese have sued a construction firm for damages, claiming they were exposed to radiation after the company had them engage in decontamination work related to the March 2011 nuclear disaster in Fukushima Prefecture. The lawsuit was filed with Fukushima District Court's branch in the ...
National Aug 25, 2019
The head of the Immigration Services Agency says over 3,000 foreign laborers are set to work in the country under new visas introduced in April.
National Aug 21, 2019
Japan revoked record number of visas in 2018 as authorities stepped up crackdown
by Magdalena Osumi
Immigration authorities revoked a record 832 visas in 2018, more than double the figure of a year earlier, Justice Ministry data showed Monday. The most common reason was ceasing to conduct an activity permitted by the visa category. A further 100 people lost their visa ...