As reported by the Financial Times, Japan’s government is expected to make a ruling on Friday that would add up to half a million in migrant workers as Japan tries to grapple with a worker shortage.
Key quotes
“Japan is poised to adopt a new approach to immigration that will allow up to 500,000 guest workers into the country to ease labour shortages. A cabinet decision due on Friday is expected to back the creation of a new “designated skills” residency status for workers in five shortage areas: agriculture, social care, construction, hotels and shipbuilding.
The plan marks a big shift towards formal recognition of Japan’s growing reliance on guest workers to overcome labour shortages. At present, most guest workers come to Japan on student or trainee visas. Trailed in official documents last week, the proposal has drawn relatively little backlash, suggesting that Japan “” adamantly against immigration in the past “” is becoming more receptive to hosting foreign workers.
However, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has insisted that the new measures are “not an immigration policy”, and guest workers will not be allowed to stay for longer than five years or bring family members to Japan. “Labour shortages are growing serious, especially for small and mid-sized companies in the regions,” said Mr Abe. “Therefore we urgently need a framework to accept a wide range of battle-ready foreign workers with a certain level of skills.””
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