Japan mulls expanding industries eligible for foreign skilled workers
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Japan is considering expanding the scope of industries under the Specified Skilled Worker visa for foreigners to address a severe labor shortage at home, a draft presented to a ruling Liberal Democratic Party committee showed Thursday.
The draft proposed increasing the number of eligible industries from 16 to 19, with warehouse management, waste disposal and linen supply to be newly included.
Holders of the Specified Skilled Worker visa, created in 2019, are allowed to work in 16 industries facing workforce challenges, such as construction, nursing care and agriculture, with many transferring from the technical trainee program.
The Specified Skilled Worker No. 1 visa enables holders to spend five years in Japan, while the No. 2 visa offers unlimited renewals, opening the path to permanent residency and permitting workers to bring their spouses and children to the country.
There were more than 280,000 holders of the Specified Skilled Worker visa as of the end of 2024, according to the Immigration Services Agency.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Mainichi
4 hours ago
- The Mainichi
Tokyo rebuke puts Ishiba at risk in national election
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- A sharp warning from voters for Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's party in Sunday's Tokyo assembly election has signaled that his tenure could be at risk, with his ruling bloc in danger of losing its majority in the upcoming national vote. The House of Councillors election, expected to take place on July 20, is shaping up as a de facto referendum on Ishiba's leadership, as the ruling coalition led by his Liberal Democratic Party has already become a minority in the House of Representatives. Some observers, meanwhile, said the conflict in the Middle East -- exacerbated by U.S. air strikes on key Iranian nuclear facilities -- may work in favor of Ishiba, who has held direct talks with President Donald Trump, in the upper house election. Voters tend to be reluctant to entrust government to the opposition, which has little governing experience in diplomacy and defense, especially as the geopolitical situation grows more severe -- notably those involving Japan's security ally, the United States, they said. A loss of majority in both chambers of parliament would likely put pressure on Ishiba to resign, triggering a power struggle within the LDP, with an eye on the politically advantageous timing of a lower house dissolution for a snap election. If he remains in power, attention is set to turn to whether an opposition party might join the government. Since he took office in October 2024, some relatively large opposition parties have supported bills and budgets after negotiating with the ruling camp. After media reports that the LDP performed poorly in Sunday's election, Shinji Inoue, head of the party's Tokyo chapter, told reporters with a somber expression that the outcome "will not have a direct impact" on the upper house election. As Ishiba decided not to dissolve the lower house to hold elections of both chambers on the same day, most parties have effectively begun campaigning mainly through social media following the end of this year's 150-day ordinary Diet session on Sunday. The LDP is trying to attract voters by highlighting its efforts to tackle soaring rice prices and navigate tough tariff talks with the United States, while opposition parties are pitching inflation relief measures, such as a high-stakes consumption tax cut. To maintain control of the 248-seat upper house, the LDP and its junior partner, the Komeito party, must retain a combined 125 seats. Elections for half the chamber are held every three years. In the 2022 election, the ruling bloc scored a decisive victory. As for the number of seats he aims to secure in the upper house election, Ishiba said winning a majority for the ruling coalition is the "bare minimum," as his Cabinet's approval ratings have recently bottomed out, despite still hovering around 30 percent. In 2022, the ruling camp picked up more than 70 seats in the upper house election, which came just days after LDP lawmaker and former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was assassinated by a gunman -- an event that shocked the nation and galvanized party unity. Since media-savvy Shinjiro Koizumi became farm minister in May, Ishiba has pursued a more consumer-focused approach in his push to reform Japan's agricultural policy, amid increasing public frustration over rice prices which have nearly doubled from a year earlier. Emergencies in the Middle East may also underscore the leadership of Ishiba, who has served as defense minister, with Mayu Kondo, a 46-year-old female office worker in Tokyo, saying, "When the world is unstable, the seasoned ruling coalition is more reliable." So far, however, the results of upper house elections have not immediately caused a change in government as the prime minister is elected by the lower house, but they have triggered internal rifts within the LDP, including forcing its president to step down. After past upper house election defeats, then prime ministers -- Sosuke Uno, Ryutaro Hashimoto and Abe -- were eventually compelled to resign, as the ruling bloc's fading authority emboldened the opposition and stirred calls for leadership change. "As a transfer of power remains unlikely without a united opposition, the focus will be on whether the LDP might replace its leader to break the stalemate," said Masahiro Ichikawa, chief market strategist at Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Co. On the policy front, the LDP's upper house election campaign pledge to provide 20,000 yen ($137) in cash handouts designed to curb the negative impact of price hikes has failed to gain strong support, boding ill for Ishiba, long regarded as a fiscal hawk. "The policy is flawed in that cash handouts are distributed even to those who can afford to live comfortably," said Takahide Kiuchi, executive economist at the Nomura Research Institute, adding, "It has therefore become what many view as a blatant giveaway." July 20 falls on the middle day of a three-day holiday weekend in Japan. (By Tomoyuki Tachikawa)
Kyodo News
4 hours ago
- Kyodo News
Kyodo News Digest: June 23, 2025
KYODO NEWS - 2 hours ago - 09:00 | All, Japan, World The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News. ---------- LDP wins record-low seats in Tokyo assembly race, in blow to PM TOKYO - Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's Liberal Democratic Party suffered a record-low result in Sunday's Tokyo assembly election, seen as a prelude to July's House of Councillors race, further straining his minority government in national politics. Tomin First no Kai, a regional party established by Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike, won 32 seats, the most in the 127-member metropolitan assembly, indicating the popularity of her public welfare and child-rearing policies. One affiliated independent is included in the figure. ---------- Japan vigilant amid Iran conflict, mum on support for U.S. attacks TOKYO - Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said Sunday that Japan is monitoring with "grave concern" the developments in the Middle East after the United States attacked Iranian nuclear facilities, though he refrained from expressing immediate support for the military action taken by its closest ally. Speaking to reporters, Ishiba underscored the importance of de-escalating the situation while stressing that Iran's nuclear development must be "blocked." ---------- U.S. defense chief says strikes on Iran were not about regime change WASHINGTON - The U.S. military's strikes on Iran's key nuclear sites were not aimed at regime change and targeted neither its troops nor civilians, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Sunday. Speaking of Saturday's attacks against Iran, Hegseth touted U.S. President Donald Trump's "bold and visionary leadership, and his commitment to peace through strength," asserting that the United States has shown the world that its "deterrence is back." ---------- FOCUS: Tokyo rebuke puts Ishiba at risk in national election TOKYO - A sharp warning from voters for Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's party in Sunday's Tokyo assembly election has signaled that his tenure could be at risk, with his ruling bloc in danger of losing its majority in the upcoming national vote. The House of Councillors election, expected to take place on July 20, is shaping up as a de facto referendum on Ishiba's leadership, as the ruling coalition led by his Liberal Democratic Party has already become a minority in the House of Representatives. ---------- Most Japanese worried about Mideast war's impact on daily lives: poll TOKYO - Most people in Japan are worried about how the outbreak of war in the Middle East could impact their daily lives, given the country's heavy dependence on the region for oil, a Kyodo News survey showed Sunday. In the nationwide telephone poll, a total of 83.7 percent of respondents said they have concerns about the repercussions of the escalating Israel-Iran war. ---------- Chinese ships spotted near Senkakus for record 216th straight day NAHA, Japan - Chinese coast guard ships were spotted near the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea for the 216th consecutive day, the Japan Coast Guard said Sunday, marking the longest streak since Japan placed the islets under state control in 2012. The uninhabited islets, which China claims and calls Diaoyu, have remained a source of friction between the Asian neighbors. ---------- 2 Japanese men among 14 prisoners released by Belarus MOSCOW - Two Japanese nationals have been released from detention in Belarus and are in good health, a Japanese government source said Sunday. Belarusian state-run media reported Saturday that President Aleksandr Lukashenko decided to pardon 14 people, including two Japanese citizens, at the request of U.S. counterpart Donald Trump. ---------- Mt. Shinmoe in southwestern Japan erupts, alert level maintained FUKUOKA - Mt. Shinmoe on the southwestern Japanese island of Kyushu erupted Sunday, the Japan Meteorological Agency said. The 1,421-meter volcano straddling Kagoshima and Miyazaki prefectures erupted around 4:37 p.m. and spewed smoke as high as 500 meters, the agency said. Video: Promotion party for sumo grand champion Hoshoryu
Kyodo News
6 hours ago
- Kyodo News
Kyodo News Digest: June 23, 2025
KYODO NEWS - 14 minutes ago - 09:00 | All, Japan, World The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News. ---------- LDP wins record-low seats in Tokyo assembly race, in blow to PM TOKYO - Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's Liberal Democratic Party suffered a record-low result in Sunday's Tokyo assembly election, seen as a prelude to July's House of Councillors race, further straining his minority government in national politics. Tomin First no Kai, a regional party established by Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike, won 32 seats, the most in the 127-member metropolitan assembly, indicating the popularity of her public welfare and child-rearing policies. One affiliated independent is included in the figure. ---------- Japan vigilant amid Iran conflict, mum on support for U.S. attacks TOKYO - Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said Sunday that Japan is monitoring with "grave concern" the developments in the Middle East after the United States attacked Iranian nuclear facilities, though he refrained from expressing immediate support for the military action taken by its closest ally. Speaking to reporters, Ishiba underscored the importance of de-escalating the situation while stressing that Iran's nuclear development must be "blocked." ---------- U.S. defense chief says strikes on Iran were not about regime change WASHINGTON - The U.S. military's strikes on Iran's key nuclear sites were not aimed at regime change and targeted neither its troops nor civilians, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Sunday. Speaking of Saturday's attacks against Iran, Hegseth touted U.S. President Donald Trump's "bold and visionary leadership, and his commitment to peace through strength," asserting that the United States has shown the world that its "deterrence is back." ---------- FOCUS: Tokyo rebuke puts Ishiba at risk in national election TOKYO - A sharp warning from voters for Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's party in Sunday's Tokyo assembly election has signaled that his tenure could be at risk, with his ruling bloc in danger of losing its majority in the upcoming national vote. The House of Councillors election, expected to take place on July 20, is shaping up as a de facto referendum on Ishiba's leadership, as the ruling coalition led by his Liberal Democratic Party has already become a minority in the House of Representatives. ---------- Most Japanese worried about Mideast war's impact on daily lives: poll TOKYO - Most people in Japan are worried about how the outbreak of war in the Middle East could impact their daily lives, given the country's heavy dependence on the region for oil, a Kyodo News survey showed Sunday. In the nationwide telephone poll, a total of 83.7 percent of respondents said they have concerns about the repercussions of the escalating Israel-Iran war. ---------- Chinese ships spotted near Senkakus for record 216th straight day NAHA, Japan - Chinese coast guard ships were spotted near the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea for the 216th consecutive day, the Japan Coast Guard said Sunday, marking the longest streak since Japan placed the islets under state control in 2012. The uninhabited islets, which China claims and calls Diaoyu, have remained a source of friction between the Asian neighbors. ---------- 2 Japanese men among 14 prisoners released by Belarus MOSCOW - Two Japanese nationals have been released from detention in Belarus and are in good health, a Japanese government source said Sunday. Belarusian state-run media reported Saturday that President Aleksandr Lukashenko decided to pardon 14 people, including two Japanese citizens, at the request of U.S. counterpart Donald Trump. ---------- Mt. Shinmoe in southwestern Japan erupts, alert level maintained FUKUOKA - Mt. Shinmoe on the southwestern Japanese island of Kyushu erupted Sunday, the Japan Meteorological Agency said. The 1,421-meter volcano straddling Kagoshima and Miyazaki prefectures erupted around 4:37 p.m. and spewed smoke as high as 500 meters, the agency said. Video: Promotion party for sumo grand champion Hoshoryu
