Japan Adopts Policies for Expanding Use of Foreign Workers

Tokyo, Dec. 25 (Jiji Press)--The government, at a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, adopted basic and operational policies detailing a new visa program to allow more foreigners to join the workforce in Japan from April next year. The government also approved a comprehensive package of measures aimed at realizing an inclusive society, at a separate meeting of related cabinet ministers. Under the policies, adopted after the enactment this month of contentious revisions to the immigration control law, type one of two new visa categories will be provided to industry-ready foreigners, beginning in April. The government expects to accept up to 345,150 workers from overseas over five years in 14 industry sectors, including nursing care services. Type two visas, to be issued to those with more sophisticated skills, will be fully introduced in fiscal 2021 in two industry sectors, including construction. The new visa program marks a historic shift in Japan's labor policy as it will expand the scope of work foreigners can engage in to include simple labor. Following the decision of the program's details, relevant industry sectors and municipalities, as well as countries planning to send workers to Japan, are expected to speed up preparations. At the meeting of related ministers, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe instructed them to make every effort to create a society in which foreigners wish to work. According to the basic policy, type one visas will be granted to foreigners who can immediately carry out duties without any special training. Foreigners can obtain type one visas if they pass exams specific to industry sectors or have three years of work experience under Japan's technical training program. Those with type one visas will be allowed to work in Japan for up to five years in total. Type two visas will be provided to those who can control work as supervisors and execute duties with proficient skills. Unlike type one, type two visas can be renewed unlimitedly and will allow the holders to bring family members with them. The basic policy states that the number of foreign workers Japan expects to accept, or up to 345,150, will serve as the upper limit on such workers. The industry sectors where labor shortage has been resolved will no longer be covered by the new visa program or the issuance of resident status certificates will be suspended for foreigners in the sectors, according to the policy. The operational policy sets out details such as technical exam schedules for individual sectors. Exams for type one visas will be launched in April in three sectors--hotel, nursing care and restaurant. Exams for type two visas will start in fiscal 2021 in two sectors--construction and shipbuilding and ship machinery. But type two visas could be granted in April next year at the earliest since an existing technical exam can be used for the construction sector. Foreign workers need to be directly employed in principle, but employers in the agriculture and fisheries sectors will be allowed to use dispatched workers as an exception. According to the comprehensive set of measures, the common Japanese-language proficiency test for the 14 industry sectors will be conducted in nine countries, including Vietnam, the Philippines, China, Nepal and Mongolia for the time being. By March next year, Japan will conclude bilateral agreements with the nine countries in order to exclude malicious brokers. The comprehensive package calls for 126 policy measures, such as the establishment of 100 counseling offices nationwide, in efforts to create an inclusive society. To map out steps to prevent an excessive concentration of foreign workers in major cities, the government will release the number of foreigners by region every three months. END