Fundamental Approach to Facilitating
Employment of Workers from Overseas
─Summary─
November 21, 2016
Japan Business Federation (Keidanren)1. Key Considerations(1)

It is essential to facilitate employment of workers from overseas, not only for the sake ofthe economy, but also to maintain and boost the vitality of Japanese society(2)

There is a strong sense of impending crisis in the business community, including worries
that Japan may lose out in global competition to secure workers, and concern over thesurvival of industries suffering bottlenecks due to lack of workers(3)The following recommendations are based on the recently adopted reform bills relating to
the legislation on technical intern trainees and immigration control
Employment should be facilitated for:
Highly skilled professionals

To generate innovation & bolster
competitivenessEconomic infrastructure workers/social
infrastructure workers
To pass on technologies and skills necessary
to maintain Japan’s economic infrastructure(industry and physical infrastructure)
To maintain Japan’s social infrastructure(nursing care, etc.)

Across multiple industries

By individual industry

Via measures catering to the needs of highly
skilled professionals

Via measures catering to the urgent needs ofindustry12. Current Situation and Issues(1) Highly skilled professionals• Increase in number of non-Japanese being approved under the points-based
system for highly skilled professionals is evidence of extent to which they areneeded by the business community• Many international students want to work in Japan, but cannot, or do not,actually find employment here
• Issues exist in relation to employment, legislation, society, etc.
Japan Revitalization
Strategy Target

No. of People Approved as Highly Skilled Professionals (Cumulative)

10,000

Actual data313
2012年末
End
2012

845
2013年末
End
2013

2,453
2014年末End20144,347

2015年末End
2015

Source: Documents of the Ministry of Justice’s round-table conference on migration control policy (November 2016)

5,917

2016年8月
Aug 2016

2020年末End
2020

2

2. Current Situation and Issues(2) Economic infrastructure workers/social infrastructure workers• The construction industry, and manufacturing industries such as shipbuilding,that provide, maintain, and manage economic infrastructure are struggling topass on skills due to Japan’s aging population• We need governmental policy measures to expand employment of workers fromoverseas in parallel with efforts to increase investment in mechanization andhiring of Japanese people• There is a severe lack of workers to undertake nursing care and other jobs thatmaintain social infrastructure, despite expanding demand• Very few candidates for care worker jobs are accepted under economic
partnership agreements (EPAs)

3

3. Necessary Governmental Policy Measures(1) Highly skilled professionals• Japan needs policies that help to enhance its appeal for highly skilled professionals andinternational students and facilitate personnel administration for global corporations

Policies

Recommendation outlines

Improve points-based system forhighly skilled professionals• Accelerate introduction of “Japanese Green Card forHighly Skilled Foreign Professionals", etc.

Relax residence requirements for • Change the requirement to 10 years total residence,
obtaining permanent residency
rather than 10 years continuous residence
Relax requirements for intracompany transfers• Allow exceptions to requirement for at least one
year’s employment immediately prior to transfer• Revise existing residence screening criteria (re.
salary levels)

Bolster support for international
students seeking employment• Expedite screening when international students
apply to change residence status on finding
employment• Improve programs for learning Japanese4

3. Necessary Governmental Policy Measures(2) Economic infrastructure workers• Japan should address the needs of each industry, targeting a broader range of workers for
employment and extending periods of employment, etc.

Policies

Recommendation outlines

Target a broader range of workers • Take a flexible approach according to companies’
for intra-company transfers
needs
Consider reviewing "project for • Consider broadening scope of project to nonacceptance of foreign employees
manufacturing fields
fromoverseas
inthe • Extend existing 1-year residence period to 2-year
manufacturing industry"level
Consider whether the existing • Include consideration of whether temporary
temporary measures in themeasures should be extended to fiscal 2021 andbeyond, based on the extent to which they areconstruction and shipbuilding
utilized, etc.
fields are appropriate
Make use of non-Japanese • Consider form of residence status to be offered toworkers with prescribed levels ofnon-Japanese workers meeting the requirements
skillof objective skills assessments53. Necessary Governmental Policy Measures(3) Social infrastructure workers
Japan needs to employ more non-Japanese nursing care workers and housekeeping workers tohelp alleviate the labor shortage at care homes and facilitate workforce participation by Japanese
women

Policies

Recommendation outlines

Add nursing care positions to the • Undertake detailed planning and make theTechnical Intern Training Program
addition promptly• Expand annual employment limitEncourage
activeworkforce • Relax qualification for continuing work in Japan
participation by EPA-based care
to completion of first level of care work training
worker candidates• Apply measures extending period of stay for those
who entered Japan in fiscal 2014 or thereafter
Expandemployment
housekeeping
workers
overseasof• Offer employment in more regions of Japan,
fromassessing precedents
63. Necessary Governmental Policy Measures(4) Multiculturalism• Japan needs the entire government to address the needs of non-Japanese residents andissues arising in areas where they are highly concentrated

Policies
Involve the entire government inaction
onpolicies
formulticulturalism

Recommendation outlines•Treat measures to help non-Japanese residents as
an issue for Japan as a whole. Address education,
medical care, public services, information todeal with natural disasters, etc.

Expandstate
supportforeducationofnon-Japanese• Support for international schools, etc.
children and Japanese language
teaching
Meet needs of differing cultures • Extend availability of halal foods beyond majorand religions
cities7

4. Corporate Action
Japan’s corporations need to take the following action:

Further improvement of working
conditions• Pursue diversity-oriented businessmanagement• Reduce long working hours• Reform personnel systems, etc.

Action to support multiculturalism• Corporate initiatives such as support for theeducation of non-Japanese children are
expected to be further expanded

85. Remaining Issues
The issues below require ongoing discussion:

Formation of a national consensus• Pursue deliberations aimed at forming anational consensus on policies formulticulturalism, including the financial
costs of social integration to be covered bypublic funds

Issues relating to the acceptance ofimmigration• Thorough discussion is required, including
discussion of how to define immigration forwhich the permanent residence andintegration of non-Japanese nationals is thekey focus• The overall issue of Japan’s acceptance ofimmigration must not be put off, but insteadshould be considered now to prepare for thefuture9