https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2018/11/02/national/major-policy-shift-japan-oks-bill-let-foreign-manual-workers-stay-permanently/
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The government on Friday approved a bill enabling manual workers from abroad to stay in Japan permanently in a major shift in its policy of resisting immigration.
Facing deepening labor shortages in such sectors as nursing, construction and farming, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s administration aims to pass the bill to revise the immigration law in the ongoing extraordinary Diet session through Dec. 10, with an eye to introducing the new program from next April.
The hastily prepared bill has drawn objections from both ruling bloc and opposition camp lawmakers who question its lack of details, such as how many would be accepted and which jobs would be made available to them.
Justice Minister Takashi Yamashita, who oversees the issue, said in Thursday’s Lower House committee that the government is not considering setting an upper limit on the number of foreign workers.
The government is considering accepting foreign workers in 14 sectors but does not plan to specify them in the bill.
The Abe administration is apparently responding to demands from industry groups, hoping to get the bill passed in time for the unified local elections next spring and the Upper House election in the summer.
“A policy that could appeal to voters in local communities, which are in dire need of workers, is indispensable” to win the elections, a source in the Prime Minister’s Office has said.
Japan has accepted highly skilled professionals, including professors and doctors, and permitted a limited number of refugees.
Under the envisioned legislation, the government seeks to introduce two types of resident status for workers, who must have Japanese-language proficiency.
The first status, valid for up to five years, will be given to those who have adequate knowledge and experience in a specific field.
They will not be allowed to bring their family members to Japan.
They will not be allowed to bring their family members to Japan.