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Japan aims to abolish term limits for some foreign workers
Japan plans to abolish limits on the term of residence for foreign workers who have a certain level of Japanese proficiency.
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The Cabinet Office — the agency charged with putting together the prime minister's annual economic policy outline — would not confirm the exact number of workers being considered, but officials said that the government was 'debating an expansion of foreign labor.' (Bloomberg/File photo)
T
he Japanese government plans to abolish limits on the term of residence for foreign workers who have a certain level of Japanese proficiency as well as certain job skills, and allow their family members to accompany them, it has been learned.
The policy was stipulated for the first time in a draft of the government’s Basic Policy on Economic and Fiscal Management Reform, the so-called large-boned policy.
Though certain conditions will have to be met to gain the new status, the plan reflects the government’s aim to foster more foreign workers.
In a separate scheme, the government plans to create, as early as in April 2019, a new category for a residency status tentatively called specific skilled labor.
In this category, foreigners who have finished technical internship programs, which last for up to five years, will be allowed to work for another five years in Japan.
The government expects to accept a total of more than 500,000 foreign workers by around 2025 in the five business sectors included in this category — agriculture, nursing care, construction, hotels and shipbuilding.
However, despite the expansion, workers under this scheme would be able to work no longer than 10 years in Japan.
Therefore, the new plan to abolish term limits goes one step further as a policy for accepting foreign workers.
Under the scheme, if foreigners pass exams that give them qualifications in Japanese language skills and their area of expertise, they will be acknowledged as having a “high level of specialized skills.”
Workers who meet these conditions will be allowed to continue working in Japan for as long as they wish, and they will also be allowed to have their family members with them.
The reason the government is considering introducing the new system is its urgent sense that unless Japan creates more attractive work environments for foreigners, the nation will not be able to compete with other countries in acquiring talented human resources.
As the labor shortage in Japan has become increasingly serious, the situation may hinder Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s Abenomics economic policy package if left unattended.
Currently, there are about 1.28 million foreign workers in Japan, including technical interns and part-time workers.
But a government fact-finding survey predicted that there will be a shortage of about 380,000 workers in the nursing care sector alone in 2025. In agriculture, the graying of farmers is progressing.
Therefore, the draft of the policy presents a basic stance that “efforts will be made to realize a society in which foreign residents can smoothly live in harmony.”
The draft also mentioned measures to assist foreign workers, such as establishing a framework for securing housing; helping them acquire Japanese language skills; confirming during immigration clearance procedures and status of residence screenings whether they are entitled to equal or higher wages compared with Japanese workers; and having prefectural labor bureaus provide advice and guidance on proper employment conditions.
However, sources of concern remain in realizing the new measures.
The draft emphasizes that the new plan is different to an “immigration policy.” But if the time limits on some foreigners’ status of residence are abolished, some predict criticism that these foreigners would become de facto immigrants.
This article appeared on The Japan News newspaper website, which is a member of Asia News Network and a media partner of The Jakarta Post
