Japan plans to open its doors to more foreign workers, an action that seems necessary to better deal with the expected decline in the working population. The introduction of non-Japanese workers after many years of rigorous immigration identification would constitute a major change in this policy.
But the challenges facing the old country are varied, while observers call for a clear approach rather than a temporary approach, and stress the need to create an easier society for foreigners to live and work in. "It's a natural shift in events," said Yoshimitsu Kobayashi, president of the Japan Association of Executive Directors.
"Given Japan's current and future situation, we have already entered a phase where we need assistance, not only from highly skilled workers," he said. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe instructed cabinet ministers a few days ago to make preparations to accept more foreign workers by providing new residency procedures starting next April.
The plan under consideration would set a maximum five-year stay under the new situation. But the country seems to need serious debate on immigration for Japan's future. The number of foreign workers in the country reached 1.28 million as of October last year. Chinese workers accounted for the largest part, about 30 percent, then workers from Vietnam, the Philippines and Brazil, according to government data.
Currently, there are limited routes where foreigners can legally work. Foreign nationals are granted residence permits to work in such areas as education, business administration, law, health care and nursing. Those entering the 1993 program to transfer technical skills can also work in the country, but critics say it encourages simple and cheap labor.
"The government had to set up a system to accept foreign workers," said Shweichi Ibusuki, a lawyer specializing in foreign employment issues. "The idea of a new residency system is a step forward." But it also raises questions about the plan, in principle, in particular with regard to imposing a five-year residency ceiling, and preventing foreign workers from bringing in family members. "It is unacceptable from a humanitarian point of view (for foreign workers) to live away from their family members for five years," the lawyer explains.
Some Japanese government circles believe that there can be no more waiting in the face of labor market shortages. In 2017, job availability rose to its highest level in 44 years, with 150 job opportunities for every 100 job seekers. However, a senior Ministry of Labor official expressed concern about unfairly paying workers to foreign workers. "Foreign workers may not benefit, and the Japanese can be deprived of jobs," said the official, who declined to be named. "For companies, especially small and medium-sized enterprises.
Step in time
Japanese Construction Contractors Association Chairman Takashi Yamauchi praised the government's move as "timely" as the construction sector is expected to see an increase in demand in the run-up to the Tokyo Olympics in 2020. The number of foreign workers has increased in years And the trend is likely to continue upwards if the new government plan is approved. In Family Mart, for example, non-Japanese workers account for about 5 percent of the roughly 200,000 workers.