Japanese Government Promotes Recruitment of Foreign Workers to Address Labor Crunch

In view of the worsening workforce setback that Japan has been dealing with in recent years a as a consequence of the country’s aging population, low birth rate and a vast decline in inward migration, the Japanese government through its National Diet has enacted a number of policies and laws that are intended to attract more and more foreign nationals who aspire to land a gainful employment in Japan.

One of the major changes that took effect last April of 2019 is the amendment of the Immigration Control Act of Japan that used to provide stringent requirements for foreign nationals who aims to work and reside in Japan. Among the most notable amendments of the new immigration act is the introduction of the “Specified Skilled Worker” visa which is aimed to encourage more foreigners to work in blue collar jobs provided that they pass the Industry Specific Test and obtain at least an “N4”d level in the Japanese Language Proficiency Test or JLPT.

Another goal of the Japanese government in enacting the new immigration policy is to entice more and more highly skilled foreign professionals in the country such as but not limited to scientists, business executives, lawyers, engineers and researchers, among others. These highly skilled professionals are provided with certain perks, additional benefits and preferential treatment.

The most remarkable of these special benefits is the relaxation of the residency requirement which allows highly skilled professionals to apply for a green card or permanent residency status within five years of continuous stay in the country instead of the regular ten years of stay which the Japanese government imposes on other foreign nationals who come to Japan such as the specified skilled workers and technical trainees, among others.

Majority of the foreign nationals who work and reside in Japan are saturated in its capital city, Tokyo wherein a lot of huge firms and international establishments are located.

Reference: Living in Japan: Here’s Where Highly Skilled Foreigners Work in Japan – By Industry and Nationality