Japan - Immigration
Foreign-born residents made up only around three percent of the population by 2025. As Japan grapples with a lower birthrate and an aging population, the labor shortage is feared to become a structural problem rather than a temporary one caused by economic ups and downs. There is a growing need for Japan to provide better working and living environments for incoming workers, as well as programs to help them improve communicating in Japanese. It is also important for communities to accept non-Japanese residents and bond with them. Japan will need to make itself a more attractive place to work.
The number of foreign workers in Japan doubled in just 5 years between 2012 and 2017. Many of them are students working part-time and foreign trainees looking to acquire technical skills. The trainees are meant to return to their homeland to utilize their new skills, thereby contributing internationally. But a serious labor shortage in Japan has caused them to become an important part of the country's workforce. One in every 50 workers in Japan was a foreigner by 2017.
Japan's initial policy was to accept mostly highly-skilled foreign workers, such as doctors and researchers. But that has now become a mere facade. The government decided to review the policy to increase the number of foreign workers. Japanese officials planned to create a new visa status for foreign workers. There are roughly 2 ways to obtain it. One is to pass technical skill exams written up by industry groups. An applicant would also need to be proficient enough in the Japanese language to be able to communicate relatively smoothly in daily conversations. The rules are less stringent than before. Applicants will be allowed to work in Japan for up to 5 years if they meet the new requirements.
Another way to obtain the status is to complete the technical internship program. Under previous rules, those who completed the program had to return to their homeland after working in Japan for up to 5 years. But they'll be able to extend their stay by another 5 years, meaning they can work in Japan for a maximum of 10 years.
Officials maintain that foreign workers will not become a permanent part of Japan's workforce. They say the workers will not be allowed to bring their family members to Japan, and that the industries accepting them will be limited. The new visa will be issued only to those planning to work in industries that are especially hard-hit by labor shortages, such as farming, nursing care, construction, hotels and ship building.
Japan's Diet enacted controversial revisions to its immigration law 09 June 2023. The ruling coalition says the changes will protect the rights of foreigners while closing a loophole that helped some abuse the system. But critics say it's a major step backward.
Japanese authorities will be able to deport asylum seekers who have applied for refugee status more than two times, unless they can provide adequate reasons. Under the current system, they are exempt while their applications are being processed.
Liberal Democratic Party members, and their partners in the Diet, argued some people have used the rule to avoid deportation.
There are also revisions aimed at preventing long stays at immigration detention facilities. People who've been detained will have their case reviewed every three months. They may be approved to stay with an authorized guarantor while their deportation process is underway.
It came after Wishma Sandamali, a Sri Lankan woman, died in a Japanese immigration facility in 2021. Her family is seeking compensation from Japan's government over accusations detention staff failed to provide adequate medical care. Her sisters were inside the Diet when the new law was enacted. They criticized Japan's government for moving ahead, despite concerns voiced by opposition lawmakers.
Constitutional Democratic Party members say the law endangers people who face persecution in their home countries, but can't receive refugee status in Japan. They say immigration authorities are not properly conducting screenings, noting Japan's extremely low rate of refugee recognition. The CDP has called for an independent watchdog to be set up.
But government officials say the law WILL protect people. They say it will create a new system for those who have fled conflict areas but do not meet refugee criteria.
Japan's Cabinet adopted a plan 09 June 2023 to drastically expand the fields for qualified foreign skilled workers. The move is aimed at attracting more skilled people from abroad amid the intense global competition for such workers. Speaking before the Cabinet meeting on Friday, Prime Minister Kishida Fumio stressed the need to address the country's serious labor shortages. He said the environment for foreign workers needs to be improved so they will view Japan as a desirable place to live.
Japan introduced Category 2 residence status four years ago. Holders of this status have no limit on applying to extend their stay in Japan. They are also allowed to bring their spouses and children. Currently, only workers in two fields -- construction and shipbuilding -- are eligible for that category. But only 11 people have qualified for this status so far.
The plan adopted by the Cabinet expanded the number of fields from two to 11. They include farming as well as food and drink manufacturing. Some members of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party had voiced concern about the plan, saying it could effectively increase immigration to Japan. But the party approved the plan reflecting a growing sense of crisis about the nation's labor shortages.
By 2025 foreign nationals found themselves under intensifying public scrutiny in Japan. Discontent about some of their behavior had spread, and there were concerns about an erosion of the country's social order. New Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae vows to take action, without stoking the flames of xenophobia. The issue was one of Prime Minister Takaichi's top priorities. She created a new cabinet post to foster more coexistence between Japanese citizens and foreign nationals as soon as she took office last month. And on Tuesday, she oversaw the first ministerial-level meeting to review policies on foreign nationals. She instructed relevant ministers to formulate a basic approach by January 2026.
Takaichi said some areas of the country need foreign workers because of population decline and the labor shortage. At the same time, she pointed out that people are anxious about breaches of the law. She said the government will firmly address the issue while steering clear of discrimination. Takaichi highlighted two key points. One is to enhance relevant systems so that foreign nationals don't commit illegal acts or break the rules. The other is to compile measures for managing land, including the acquisition of real estate by foreigners.
The social tension over foreign nationals is hard to deny on social media. People have also reportedly taken to the streets to protest against immigration. Japan experienced a rapid rise in foreign residents. In fact, the Immigration Services Agency said there were nearly 4 million as of June 2025. That's a record high, and almost double the figure a decade ago. Foreign nationals are finding themselves in the spotlight more often. Their crimes, such as theft, receive a lot of media coverage. This led to growing anxiety among Japanese citizens about the rising number of both foreign residents and inbound tourists.
The National Police Agency says there were over 21,000 arrests of foreign nationals in 2024, and that the figure rose for two straight years. But at the same time, the number was less than half the peak of nearly 48,000 seen in 2005. It's also worth noting that not all foreign nationals breach the law on purpose, or with bad intentions. The 'unlawful activities' Prime Minister Takaichi refers to can include things like working in ways that violate the conditions of a visa or residence status. Perhaps a foreign national's employment or living conditions meant they had little choice.
Foreign nationals are also tied up with rising land and housing prices in some parts of the country. Japanese citizens are frustrated because they are struggling to both rent or buy. It's a real hot-button issue, and the government realized it needed to act. Wealthy foreigners were pouring into the Japanese real estate market with speculative purchases. Industry sources say there have been cases where apartments suddenly come under foreign ownership, and the rent shoots up.
Ikebe Shoichiro, an executive officer at a company that advises businesses on accepting workers from abroad, believef the government is keen to temper people's increasingly strong emotions about immigration. "The influx of foreign nationals has been a little too fast for some Japanese citizens, and they may not be used to dealing with foreigners," he says. Ikebe also suggests some new arrivals will not know about Japan's social norms. But at the same time, he says there are those who enter the country with the intention of overstaying illegally. Others, he says, "may disappear from their jobs and fall foul of the law because of poor working and living conditions. These issues need fixing through a review of Japan's visa system."
And so the government must perform a delicate balancing act. Prime Minister Takaichi has stressed the importance of building an inclusive society: a country that is safe and secure for everyone.
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