Japan broadens its worker visa Programme 2024; plans to invite 820,000 foreigners!

In a recent development, Japan has expanded its foreign worker visa program for the first time since its establishment in 2019! With this, the Japanese government aims to meet the shortage of drivers in the country by granting extended stays of up to five years.

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The Japanese news agency Kyodo News reported that this expansion comprises four new sectors which are road and railway transportation, forestry, and timber industries. Surprisingly, there has been a substantial increase in the demand for foreign laborers in Japan. There are several factors, but one of the prime is a significant decline in birth rate and shortages in transportation and logistics sectors.


These shortages are expected to meet with the introduction of new regulations limiting overtime hours for drivers, known as the "2024 problem." With this, the Japanese government intends to admit up to 820,000 foreigners under the skilled worker visa program over the next five fiscal years, starting from April.
This number surpasses the previous estimate for the five years leading up to fiscal 2023, which concluded in March. Following feedback from the public on the proposed reforms, the government plans to revise relevant regulations, including those under the Justice Ministry, to facilitate the acceptance of skilled workers in the newly added sectors.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi has urged relevant ministers to prepare for the timely integration of foreign workers. Under the new program, skilled foreigners can work as bus drivers, drive taxis, and trucks in the transportation sector, provided they are employed by companies certified by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.

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Proficiency in Japanese at the N3 level, one of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test's five levels, is required for positions involving communication with passengers. In the railway sector, skilled workers can engage in various roles including manufacturing train cars, maintaining tracks, and serving as drivers, conductors, or station staff.