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October 14, 2025
 

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VISAS

Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Apr 1, 2020
Stranded tourists flock to Tokyo immigration bureau already overwhelmed by seasonal rush
Scores of foreign nationals queued up at the Tokyo Regional Immigration Services Bureau on Wednesday, as tourists unable to return home — after international flights from Japan were suspended due to COVID-19 — added to the typical numbers attending the bureau.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 20, 2020
Coronavirus slowing immigration procedures for labor-hungry Japan firms
Businesses reliant on a foreign blue-collar workforce are struggling to fill openings as the coronavirus pandemic slows immigration procedures to a crawl both in Japan and abroad.
JAPAN
Jan 30, 2020
Japan to cast net wider after sluggish start for blue-collar visa program
Less than 2,000 have obtained working permits under the program, a low figure given that Japan was expecting to draw 40,000 in the first year.
JAPAN
Jan 21, 2020
Japan's new visa system on track to fall far short of target
The government is likely to fall far short of its target of issuing work permits under a new visa system to 340,000 non-Japanese over the next five years to alleviate acute labor shortages in 14 sectors.
COMMUNITY / Issues / JUST BE CAUSE
Jan 6, 2020
'Low IQ' kids, parental rights and problematic terminology dogged Japan's international community in 2019
Of the issues non-Japanese had to deal with in the past year (and even the past decade), some were major news stories and some fell quietly into the cracks.
JAPAN
Aug 21, 2019
Japan revoked record number of visas in 2018 as authorities stepped up crackdown
Immigration authorities revoked a record 832 visas in 2018, more than double the figure of a year earlier, Justice Ministry data showed Monday.
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
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
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 Times
LIFE / Language / NEWS IN NIHONGO
Oct 22, 2018
New Japan residence status planned for foreign blue-collar workers
The Justice Ministry has announced the gist of draft revisions to laws including the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act to create two new types of visa.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Oct 13, 2017
UAE follows Qatar and Kuwait lead and terminates North Korea diplomatic mission
The United Arab Emirates said on Thursday it was ending the mission of North Korea's nonresident ambassador and terminating its own envoy's services in Pyongyang, the foreign ministry said in a statement carried by state news agency WAM.
JAPAN
Sep 23, 2017
Firms seeking foreign help get guidance on visas
The Justice Ministry has drafted guidelines to help companies that want to hire international students understand the types of jobs eligible for granting visas.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jun 30, 2017
Japan considers detaining some asylum seekers to curb alleged abuse of refugee system
Claiming that its refugee system is being abused by foreign job seekers, the government considers arresting some asylum seekers once their visas expire.
JAPAN / Society
Feb 21, 2017
Migrants exploiting refugee applicant loophole to work in labor-scarce Japan
Sayaka Hirose is a Tokyo-based immigration lawyer specializing in assisting Indonesians coming to Japan. She says that in the past two years her clients have been seeking legal advice on an issue she had never encountered before.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Nov 15, 2016
Japan's permanent residency rules may be loosened to lure global talent
The requirement time for highly skilled foreign professionals to apply for permanent residency may be shortened under a move being considered by the government to help lure more global talent to Japan.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society / EXPLAINER
Oct 26, 2015
Plan to hire more foreign housekeepers no easy chore, say industry players
The role of housekeepers has come under the spotlight as the government looks to them to provide working mothers with help at home as one way to prop up the nation's dwindling workforce.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Oct 23, 2015
Japan's so-called visa overstayers tell of life in legal limbo
Eight children petition the Tokyo Regional Immigration Bureau for clemency to allow their families to stay in the country so they can continue their lives.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Aug 19, 2015
Immigration crackdown seen as paving the way for state to expel valid visa-holders
After successfully expelling visa overstayers over the past decade, Japan is now shifting its immigration control focus to a new target: people in the country on bogus visas.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Aug 9, 2015
Desperately seeking visas: a mixed bag of queries
One of the perennial topics that crops up regularly in reader inquiries is visas. Here are some answers that cover fairly common situations.
As the Osaka Expo comes to a close, what will its legacy be?
After a run-up marked by apathy, organizers soon found they had the opposite problem as crowd control became a concern.
Hypothermia in the land of the rising Sanae
Amid the election of Sanae Takaichi as Liberal Democratic Party president, and possibly the next prime minister, Japan's economy shows signs of recovery, but weak wages, a conservative corporate culture and currency issues raise doubts about a true economic thaw.
Ghost of Yotei’s bloodstained fun sidesteps Ainu identity
Ghost of Yotei, the follow-up to 2020's smash hit Ghost of Tsushima, is a violent, vengeful and engaging romp through 17th-century Hokkaido that fails to stick the landing on its most sensitive cultural material.
After ruling bloc collapses, LDP and opposition scramble to find needed votes for PM
Komeito leader Tetsuo Saito speaks at a news conference in Tokyo on Friday after leaving the ruling coalition earlier in the day.
What if everything we think about obesity is wrong?
Recent research shows obesity may be driven by ultraprocessed and hyperpalatable foods that disrupt fullness signals and lead to overeating.
A frenetic diplomatic schedule looms for Japan’s next leader — whomever that may be
As horse-trading and speculation surge over who will be elected the next prime minister in parliament — the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's Sanae Takaichi or a possible candidate put forward by a unified opposition — Japan’s next leader will be confronted with a quick succession of key diplomatic events.
Ghost of Yotei’s bloodstained fun sidesteps Ainu identity
Ghost of Yotei, the follow-up to 2020's smash hit Ghost of Tsushima, is a violent, vengeful and engaging romp through 17th-century Hokkaido that fails to stick the landing on its most sensitive cultural material.
At Osaka Expo, gas giants promote a greener future. But is it a lot of hot air?
The Gas Pavilion had welcomed around 500,000 visitors by the end of August, making it one of the most popular exhibits at the Osaka Expo.
‘Takaichi trade’ starts unwinding as political calculus upended by Komeito exit
Less than a week ago, Sanae Takaichi seemed set to become Japan's first female prime minister.
‘Save the Ring’ calls intensify as Osaka Expo’s end nears
Visitors lounge on the grassy hill on the top of the Grand Ring during the 2025 Osaka Expo in the city of Osaka in May.

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