Starting April 1, a new law on hiring foreign workers came into effect in Japan
As "Russkaya Germaniya" notes, this situation began to change only a couple of years ago, when the local labor market opened up slightly for foreigners. At that time, for example, work visas began to be issued to Brazilians and Peruvians of Japanese descent.
And in September last year, the head of the Japanese Foreign Ministry finally officially acknowledged that his country is in dire need of foreign workers. The reason for such a radical turn in immigration policy is simple: since 2008, the number of deaths in the country has exceeded births. Moreover, over the next 25 years, the number of people over 65 will grow from a quarter of the population to one third. As Japanese authorities now admit, the country's demographic problems could not be solved by "internal measures" alone.
The labor shortage continues to grow. That is why, starting in April, new legislative provisions came into effect in the country, opening access primarily to low-skilled foreign workers. According to the new rules, from 260,000 to 345,000 work visas valid for five years will be granted to foreign workers in 14 sectors of the Japanese economy suffering from an extreme labor shortage. These include, in particular, such areas as construction, agriculture, service, and care for the sick and elderly.
An applicant for a work visa will need to pass an exam on basic knowledge of the Japanese language and also confirm their professional qualifications. However, even if they pass all the tests, the foreigner will have to enter Japan alone; they are not allowed to bring their family.
This rule, however, does not apply to cases where a highly skilled foreigner gets a job in Japan. Under the new law, they will be able not only to obtain permanent resident status but also to live in the Land of the Rising Sun without any restrictions together with their entire family.
The government hopes that opening the labor market to foreigners will attract primarily people from China, Vietnam, and other Southeast Asian countries. Currently, about 1.28 million foreigners live in the country, which is just over one percent of Japan's population.
It is interesting to note that Japan is now essentially taking the same steps in its labor market as Germany did in the 1960s. It was then that the first guest workers from Turkey began to arrive in West Germany to replenish the labor force after the construction of the Wall. At that time, it was also about low-skilled work for a limited period, and the families of guest workers initially stayed in their homeland.