In order to improve the problem of labor shortages, the Japanese government is pushing for a plan to effectively remove the limit on the period of stay for skilled foreign workers. Previously, this system was applied only to fields such as construction and shipbuilding, but it is reviewing an amendment that recognizes all 14 industries that classified the stay and employment of foreign skilled workers.

The Nihon Keizai Shimbun (Nikkei) said that for all 14 industries that allow residence for 'specific skills', it is being adjusted in the direction of reorganizing the related system so that foreigners can continue to renew their status of residence and work, and so that their families can stay together, reported on the 18th. A specific skill is a status of residence that allows foreigners to work in 14 industries, including agriculture, fishery, restaurant, food manufacturing, industrial machinery manufacturing, and automobile maintenance, on condition that they pass a skill test or Japanese language test. The reform plan is expected to be implemented from fiscal year 2022 (April 2022 to March 2023) after coordination within the Prime Minister's office or the ruling party.

When the reform plan is implemented, it is evaluated that it will be a turning point in Japan's foreigner acceptance policy, as opportunities for 'permanent residence', which were previously limited to professionals and technicians, will be recognized more widely for foreign workers than before.

No. 1 is given to foreign workers who have practical experience and does not require special education and training for specific skills, and No. 2 is given to personnel whose proficiency has been verified to be able to play a general role in the field through a skill test. The upper limit of the period of stay for Specific Skill No. 1 is 5 years, and for No. 2, there is no time limit. Previously, only construction and shipbuilding could be applied for Specific Skill No. 2, but the Japanese government is planning to add 11 industries such as agriculture, fishery, and food service.

In order to solve the problem of labor shortage in industrial sites, Japan started accepting specific skilled foreigners from 2019, and as of the end of August this year, about 35,000 people are staying in Japan through this system. F&B manufacturing (about 12,000 people) and agriculture (about 4,600 people) account for almost half of them. At the time of introducing the specific skill system, the Immigration Office predicted that there would be about 345,000 labor shortages by March 2024. If the employment period restrictions are removed, it is estimated that the number of specific skilled foreigners will reach 300,000 by the late 2020s if simple calculations are made.

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