Acceptance of foreign nationals
Launched in April 2019, the ‘Specified Skills’ is a new foreign worker residency status. This system was introduced to address industries where there is a serious shortage of human resources.
The 14 industries covered by this system are: nursing care, building cleaning, agriculture, fishing, food and beverage manufacturing, restaurant industry, food service, materials industry, industrial machinery manufacturing, electrical and electronic information-related industry, construction, shipbuilding and marine equipment industry, automobile maintenance, aviation industry, and accommodation industry. The government has identified approximately 34.5 million people as having specific skills over the next five years. The Government has a policy of accepting approximately 345,000 foreign workers over the next five years.
Respect for accepting foreign workers (government estimate).
Additional consideration is given to these industries from time to time when the minister of the ministry with jurisdiction acknowledges a shortage of human resources. In June 2020, a proposal was made to add convenience stores to the list of target industries, with future expansion to supermarkets and home centres also expected. A major factor behind this is the growing labour shortage in Japan.
(The black and white graphs should remain in Japanese)
Source: Population Projections for Japan (2009 estimates)｜National Institute of Population and Social Security Research At present, the working-age population is not expected to increase beyond 2065, and a policy has been adopted to supplement the workforce by accepting foreign workers through the new ‘specified skills’ system for industries with a serious shortage of human resources, such as nursing care, building cleaning and food service. This system is considered beneficial for both parties, as it matches the demand of people who want to earn foreign currency abroad and companies seeking labour in Japan.
