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July 05, 2025
 

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FOREIGN WORKERS

Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies / Deep Dive
Nov 18, 2018
Miyazaki finds solution to IT labor crunch thousands of kilometers away
Like many of Japan's smaller cities, Miyazaki has been hit by a growing labor crunch, a trend highlighted by the mere 56.8 percent of high school graduates that chose to remain in the prefecture to work — third-worst among the 47 prefectures.
Japan Times
JAPAN / View from Osaka
Nov 17, 2018
Kansai business community sees future foreign worker influx with both hope and concern
The news last week that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's government is preparing to admit up to 345,000 foreign workers by 2023 has been met with a combination of hope they will help prop up agricultural, manufacturing and service sectors that are struggling to find workers, and concern that Abe has rushed...
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 17, 2018
Diet discussion halted after Justice Ministry says data in survey on missing foreign trainees was miscalculated
The ruling coalition dropped a plan to start substantive deliberations in the Diet on Friday on a bill that would increase the number of foreign workers in the country amid a major backlash from opposition parties over errors in a related government survey.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 16, 2018
Japan looks to hold tests in seven countries for farm jobs under new visas
Although cautious, Japanese firms are ready to hire foreign workers who will come to the country under a new visa arrangement.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 14, 2018
More than 345,000 foreign workers predicted to come to Japan under new visas: government
Some 345,000 blue-collar foreign workers may join the workforce through the first five years of a new working visa system set to be introduced in April — if it wins Diet approval.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 14, 2018
Abe says government will set 'cap' on number of foreign workers under new visa types
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Tuesday that the government will soon reveal estimates of worker shortages that will effectively function as a cap on the number of foreign workers to be admitted under a new visa system currently being deliberated by the Diet.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 13, 2018
Emigration — not immigration — one of top Japanese concerns amid shrinking population: Pew poll
With Japan's population of 127 million expected to shrink to 88 million by 2065, many appear unsettled by the perceived balance between emigration and immigration.
JAPAN
Nov 5, 2018
Think tank says applicants for planned blue-collar visas should have college degrees
A newly launched think tank researching policies for accepting more foreign workers said Monday that as a condition for new visa statuses currently being discussed in the Diet, the government should require prospective applicants to have a college degree.
JAPAN
Nov 4, 2018
Japan expects acceptance of 40,000 foreign workers in first year of proposed new visas rules: sources
Some 40,000 foreign workers are expected to be accepted in the first year the new visa categories go into effect, with the total rising to 250,000 after five years, government sources said Saturday.
JAPAN
Nov 2, 2018
Japan's Cabinet approves bill to introduce new visa categories for foreign workers, to address shrinking workforce
The bill marks a departure from previous policy in allowing foreign individuals to work in blue collar industries for a potentially indefinite amount of time.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 30, 2018
Liberal Democratic Party's General Council approves draft immigration control bill despite members' concerns
The Liberal Democratic Party's General Council approved on Tuesday a government-drafted bill on immigration control, which will introduce new visa statuses for blue-collar and skilled workers, despite concerns within the party over whether the country can properly handle the possible influx of workers...
JAPAN
Oct 29, 2018
Government planning seasonal limits on new five-year residence status for foreign workers in Japan: sources
The step will be in response to requests mainly from the agriculture industry, the sources said.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Oct 18, 2018
Abe wants foreigners to bolster Japan's shrinking workforce but finds vocal resistance
A strict immigration policy has helped make Japan one of the world's oldest and most homogeneous societies. Now, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's plan to invite as many as half a million foreign workers is testing the country's tolerance for change.
JAPAN / CABINET INTERVIEW 2018
Oct 13, 2018
'Management and coexistence': Japan's justice minister calls for balance in dealing with foreign nationals
Ten days into his new job, Justice Minister Takashi Yamashita said one of his major goals is to strike a balance between management and coexistence when it comes to foreign nationals in Japan.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 12, 2018
New visa statuses proposed for blue-collar workers do not offer permanent residency: justice minister
Comments come as ministry details plan to allow people with knowledge and abilities Japan needs to work in the nation.
JAPAN
Sep 26, 2018
Japanese government to mull new work visa to help more labor-hungry professions: top government spokesman
The government is mulling an update to the nation's visa system in order to accept more foreign workers in a growing number of professions facing manpower shortages, including those that serve the labor-hungry restaurant and fisheries industries, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said Wednesday....
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 28, 2018
Japan will overhaul Immigration Bureau to create agency for expected surge of blue-collar workers under new status
The move comes as the government seeks to accept more foreign workers and introduce a new status of residence amid a serious labor crunch.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 17, 2018
Is Japan a land of contradictions or opportunities for immigration?
One could argue that there is no other country than Japan in the world today that has all the right conditions to welcome economic migrants.
EDITORIALS
Jun 22, 2018
Take steps to attract more foreign workers
The government has taken a step in the right direction by creating a new visa status for unskilled foreign laborers.
JAPAN
Jun 18, 2018
To counter overstayers, Japan plans new surveillance system to manage foreign residents' data
Japan plans to set up a system to centrally manage information on foreign residents to prevent overstayers from growing as the national labor crunch worsens, officials said.
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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