Faced with an ageing population, Japan to open doors to 1.2M+ foreign workers
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Representative image: Japan Photograph: (Canva)
Japan is planning a major overhaul of its foreign labour policies. Under it, it plans to admit 805,000 skilled foreign workers by 2029. All details here
Japan is reportedly preparing for a major overhaul of its foreign labour policies. The changes would balance a desperate need for workers with growing public concern over immigration, suggest reports. Under the overhaul, the government has announced plans to cap the number of trainees under its upcoming "Employment for Skill Development" program at approximately 426,000 for the first two years, starting in fiscal 2027.
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Why now?
The move comes as Japan reviews its broader foreign-worker policies, including stricter measures against visa overstays, following instructions from Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. Public concern about the growing number of foreign nationals in the country has also triggered the review, reports ANI.
It comes as Japan grapples with a chronic labour shortage caused by its ageing population. To address this, the government plans to scrap the long-criticised Technical Intern Training Program, which has often been accused of enabling cheap labour and human rights violations. Japan will replace it with a new framework called the Employment for Skill Development program, as per Kyodo News.
Foreign workers will be encouraged to upgrade to Specified Skilled Worker status after three years of employment under the new system, allowing them to stay in Japan for longer periods of time.
How many people will be accepted under the programme?
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Japan is preparing to slightly scale back its intake of foreign workers under its specified skilled worker programme, even as it continues to rely heavily on overseas labour to support key sectors of its economy.
A rough draft of a new government plan, presented to a panel of experts on Tuesday, shows that Japan intends to accept up to around 805,000 foreign workers under the specified skilled worker system by March 2029. This is marginally lower than the earlier target of 820,000, which had been set in March 2024. According to Kyodo News, officials believe the revised figure is more realistic, particularly if productivity improves through wider adoption of digital tools and automation.
The draft outlines a broader picture of foreign labour in Japan. When both the existing technical intern programme and the specified skilled worker system are combined, the total number of foreign workers expected to be accepted would reach roughly 1.23 million over the same period. The Cabinet, led by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, is expected to approve the plan in January after further internal discussions.
One notable change in the proposal is a narrowing of sectors covered by the new training programme. While the current specified skilled worker system spans 19 industries, the revised framework will focus on 17 sectors. These include labour-intensive fields such as agriculture and construction, which continue to face acute worker shortages due to Japan’s ageing population and shrinking workforce.
