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July 04, 2025
 

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LABOR SHORTAGE

EDITORIALS
Jun 22, 2019
Push for higher minimum wages
Companies need to consider rising minimum wages not as a threat to their bottom lines but as an opportunity to secure the manpower they need and improve their productivity by making necessary investments.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 20, 2019
Look at the SOFA pool of labor
An overlooked pool of potential workers is the dependent population of U.S. military personnel assigned to Japan.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 7, 2019
Nearly 40% of companies see low retention rate for midcareer hires: survey
Close to 40 percent of employers feel they have low retention rates for regular employees hired in the middle of their careers, according to a survey.
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 / Help Wanted?
Dec 31, 2018
Foreign talent eager to work for Japanese firms, but staid office culture a hindrance
Dozens of young people from around Asia descended on Tokyo last month for a job fair, dressed in a plain black suit of the type considered "the uniform" for Japanese college students when they meet with prospective employers.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 4, 2018
A new immigration policy for Japan
Japan should focus on accepting highly skilled immigrants and leverage domestic resources to solve its shortage of unskilled labor.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Nov 19, 2018
Wrangling over planned shake-up of Japan's immigration control law intensifies after government admits to data errors
A ruckus in the Diet over erroneous statistics leaves the government's Dec. 10 deadline for passage of new legislation in doubt.
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 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.
EDITORIALS
Nov 6, 2018
Coming to grips at last with Japan's labor shortage
If the Abe administration wants to woo more foreign workers to Japan it should foster an environment that will attract them.
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 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 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 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 Times
JAPAN / ANALYSIS
Jun 15, 2018
Abe-led panel adopts new visa plan to accept 500,000 low-skilled laborers by 2025
Japan has long officially banned the entry of unskilled foreign workers despite its rapidly shrinking working-age population.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 7, 2017
Japan's robots stepping up to fill worst labor shortage in 40 years
While people fret about robots taking human jobs, machines in Japan are stepping in to fill vacancies amid the worst labor shortage in more than 40 years. That is creating an opportunity for up-and-coming startups focused on automating warehouse tasks.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 5, 2017
Lawson to offer unattended late-night checkout counters
Lawson Inc. will introduce unattended checkout counter services late at night at some of its stores, the first such step by a convenience store operator to tackle the labor shortage.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech / FOCUS
Aug 22, 2017
Prime time in worker-scarce Japan for investing in service robots
Faced with their worst labor shortage in decades, Japanese service companies are finally turning to labor-saving technology, an investment that could lift the sector's woeful level of productivity and allow them to raise wages.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jul 5, 2017
Job-changing reaches a seven-year high as Japan Inc. scrambles to cope with labor shortages
Japan's labor shortage has pushed the number of people changing jobs and employers during their career to its highest level since the global financial crisis, as companies scramble for workers with experience amid a rapidly-aging economy.
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.
Onosato's yokozuna promotion causes rare quirk in new sumo rankings
Newly promoted yokozuna Onosato holds a copy of the latest banzuke ranking in Anjo, Aichi Prefecture, on Monday.
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. 
Over 900 earthquakes strike Tokara islands in space of two weeks
A screenshot shows many quakes occurring in the Tokara islands over the past 30 days, in this image taken from the U.S. Geological Survey website.
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."
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.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
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