Accepting even those foreign workers who engage in unskilled labor: This is a significant policy shift. In order to avert any friction that may emerge between local residents and such foreigners, it is necessary to expedite efforts to prepare for the new arrivals.
The government has compiled the main points of a new system aimed at expanding the acceptance of foreign workers to this country. It plans to submit related bills to create a new category of residence status to an extraordinary Diet session and aims at implementing the new system from April next year.
The government has limited the eligibility of residence status for foreign nationals to work in this country, to only those with advanced and specialized skills, such as medical doctors and researchers.
Under the new system, residence status will be granted even to those foreigners who engage in unskilled labor, however, it will be limited to sectors beset with serious labor shortages. Fourteen business fields, including agriculture, construction and nursing care, are being considered. If foreign workers are judged to have high-level skills and proficiency in the Japanese language, they will be permitted to stay for a long period of time and even be accompanied by their family members.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga has emphasized that "It is a matter of urgency to devise a system to broadly accept foreign human resources that can become immediate assets." With a shrinking labor force against a backdrop of a low birthrate and an aging society, it is understandable to take such a course of action to allow more foreign workers.
The number of foreigners working in Japan stood at about 1.28 million last year. Technical trainees and foreign students working part-time in addition to their studies in Japan account for 40 percent of the total. The technical intern training programs are mainly focused on technical transfer to developing countries, but in reality, technical trainees tend to be utilized as cheap labor.
Address current misuse
Rectifying the present state of affairs in which foreigners with residence statuses primarily not aimed at authorizing them to work in this country have been engaged in unskilled labor: From such a standpoint too, it could be meaningful to establish new residence statuses.
Under the new system, an increase of foreign workers in excess of 500,000 is expected in the future. There is an abundance of concern that a rapid rise in the number of foreign workers could disrupt public order or increase the number of people who overstay their visas. There is also criticism that the new residence status system will end up becoming de facto immigration.
The government asserts that as the residence statuses of such foreigners are to be regularly examined and renewed, they differ from immigrants who are allowed to stay for an unspecified period of time. In the event that a labor shortage is eased, acceptance in a specific field can be stopped.
In order to contain any confusion stemming from a sharp rise in the number of foreign workers, the government should avoid an unregulated influx of foreign workers.
It would also be necessary to consider ways to prevent foreign workers becoming alienated from Japanese society. It was an appropriate measure to make it obligatory for those companies accepting such foreign workers to provide support, such as Japanese language education, and to ensure levels of remuneration were higher or equal to those of Japanese workers.
In the field of nursing care, in which communication with elderly people is essential, securing highly abled workers is particularly important.
The government plans to upgrade the Immigration Bureau of the Justice Ministry to the "immigration and residence agency," aiming to expand its remit. Local governments are also required to play a part in nurturing harmony among local residents and foreigners.
(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Oct. 17, 2018)
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
