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July 05, 2025
 

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FOREIGN WORKERS

JAPAN / Politics
May 16, 2019
Japanese government seeks public comment on plan to bring foreign trainees into hotel sector
The government on Thursday started soliciting public comments over its plan to allow foreign nationals who come to Japan under the government-sponsored Technical Intern Training Program to work directly for hotels for up to five years, officials said.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / TELLING LIVES
May 8, 2019
Photographing Tokyo's human side: Isaac Aquino finds an 'interloper' in us all
Isaac Aquino has just quit his job as a reporter, and he seems quite pleased with himself. The soft-spoken Filipino recently decided to go all in on Tokyo Interlopers, an Instagram account he launched three years ago, by focusing on a business MBA.
JAPAN
Apr 26, 2019
Japan grants first work permits under new blue-collar visa system to address labor crunch
Two permits were issued and similar visas are in the works for another 45 applicants engaged mainly in agriculture.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Help Wanted?
Apr 21, 2019
Foreign staff bring new perspectives to smaller firms in Japan
There's no denying that Japan, amid a severe labor crunch and a shrinking population, will need to rely more on foreign workers in the coming years, and that's especially true for small and midsize companies.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 10, 2019
Nichii Gakkan says more closures to come after shuttering 50 Coco Juku English schools across Japan
Nichii Gakkan wrote in a statement it decided to close most of the language schools as they were deemed unlikely to turn a profit.
JAPAN / Help Wanted?
Mar 31, 2019
Bumpy ride feared in Japan as new visa types issued to ease labor crunch
Japan will open its doors wider to workers from abroad when the revised Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act takes effect. However, with it comes a host of other issues.
JAPAN / Help Wanted?
Mar 31, 2019
Foreign workers are on the way, but are Japanese businesses ready?
A new visa program designed to lure more workers to Japan takes effect Monday, and government officials and industry leaders hope two new types will help alleviate the national labor shortage.
JAPAN
Mar 29, 2019
Probe reveals 759 cases of suspected abuse and 171 deaths of foreign trainees in Japan
The Justice Ministry's probe into the Technical Intern Training Program confirms growing concerns about a link between the trainees' working conditions and their growing disappearances from companies.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Mar 29, 2019
Vietnamese nun in Tokyo prays for compatriots who lost lives at work in Japan, fearing more to come
Rows of wooden mortuary tablets inscribed with names line an altar at a Buddhist temple in Tokyo — silent testimony to Vietnamese people who died after coming to Japan to work or study.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 26, 2019
Justice Ministry to accept online Japan visa renewals from July, but only by employers and agents
The ministry will start by accepting online applications for visa renewals for employees including highly skilled professionals, university professors, and interns working under the technical trainee program.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional voices: Chubu
Mar 24, 2019
Small Japanese firms fear foreign laborers will abandon them when new visas kick in
As Japan braces for a fresh influx of foreign workers from the new visa system starting next month, small and midsize firms fear the system will end up helping only major firms in large cities, since those who qualify for the two new "specified skills" visas will be free to switch companies in the same...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Mar 20, 2019
Vietnamese blue-collar workers in Japan seen facing risks as labor system opens up
When a young Vietnamese woman found out late last year that she was pregnant after arriving in Japan on a technical trainee visa, she was given a stark choice: "Have an abortion or go back to Vietnam."
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 18, 2019
Education ministry urges local governments to promote school enrollment of foreign students
Their numbers are sure to grow with the coming influx of foreign workers.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 11, 2019
Japan to require foreign workers arriving on new visas to submit medical certificates
The Justice Ministry plans to require foreign workers entering the country using new working visas to submit medical certificates, sources with knowledge of the matter have said.
Japan Times
JAPAN / 3/11: Moving forward
Mar 9, 2019
Foreign workers helping Tohoku seafood companies recover from 2011 quake and tsunami
Fish processors are now trying to stem their losses by turning to foreign trainees as firms deal with a severe labor shortage in the region.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 25, 2019
Bhutanese exchange students face extortion, threats and hard times in Japan, families say
Many participants say the program is a scam and they are being forced to repay loans by working illegally long hours.
EDITORIALS
Feb 12, 2019
Implement support measures for new immigration law
The government needs to accelerate its efforts to take the necessary steps to prepare for welcoming foreign workers.
JAPAN
Jan 23, 2019
Nursing skill tests for new visa expected to start in Vietnam and Philippines
The government is considering holding the first skills tests for foreign nationals hoping to work in the Japan's nursing sector under new visa categories in Vietnam and the Philippines, sources with knowledge of the matter said Tuesday.
JAPAN
Jan 23, 2019
First-time, short-term visitors to Japan hit record 27 million in 2018, making up 98% of arrivals
The number of new, short-term visitors to Japan hit a record high of 27.05 million last year, according to data showing arrivals from overseas by their visa status released by the Justice Ministry for the first time.
JAPAN
Jan 7, 2019
Ministry earmarks subsidies totaling ¥20 million to set up translation systems for foreign students at schools
The education ministry plans to set up a new subsidy system for prefectures and large cities that offer detailed support to foreign students attending public elementary and junior high schools and their parents through the use of multilingual translation systems.
A prophesied disaster (likely) won’t strike Japan this weekend
A viral manga prediction of a July 5 disaster has gripped Japan with anxiety and triggered an economic impact, but experts warn that while such dates are unreliable, the threat of a massive earthquake remains real. 
Magnitude 5.5 earthquake jars Tokara Islands amid flurry of seismic activity
A strong quake struck off the Tokara Islands on Thursday afternoon, with the island chain having recorded around 1,000 earthquakes since a burst of seismic activity first began on June 21.
Japan to require flight passengers to keep power banks within sight
The transport ministry has announced new regulations requiring flight passengers to keep power banks within sight to mitigate fire risks while on board planes.
Ghibli’s Isao Takahata exhibit shows how beloved anime is made
“The man who planted Japanese animation” exhibition includes a variety of sketches, drawings and animation cels from Isao Takahata films such as color design for characters by Michiyo Yasuda from "Grave of the Fireflies."
Residents of Tokara Islands begin evacuation as seismic swarm continues
Details about evacuations from Akuseki Island, located in the Tokara island chain in Kagoshima Prefecture, is seen written on a whiteboard in the city of Kagoshima on Thursday.
Ghibli’s Isao Takahata exhibit shows how beloved anime is made
“The man who planted Japanese animation” exhibition includes a variety of sketches, drawings and animation cels from Isao Takahata films such as color design for characters by Michiyo Yasuda from "Grave of the Fireflies."
Flag football facing challenges and opportunities ahead
Japan’s women’s flag football team at the 2025 International Bowl in Los Angeles in June. The sport is enjoying continued growth in the country.
From Hokusai’s Great Wave, shinkansen to One Piece: a cultural treasure box for Lego Japan
Michael Ebbesen, general manager of Lego Japan, says Lego bricks based on Japanese culture have a rich global appeal and are sellable around the world.
With farmed fish, RelationFish swims against the tide in fine dining
Chef Hideaki Matsuo (middle) and the staff of Oseto Suisan Fisheries prepare to check on their sustainably farmed fish.
As Southeast Asia heats up, a Japanese cooling giant sees a major opportunity
An employee of Daikin Cambodia explains the use of different tools during an air conditioner installation training session in Phnom Penh. Daikin is one of Japan’s oldest air conditioning companies, but as Japan’s population falls, the firm is keying in on overseas growth.

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