The government decided at a Cabinet meeting on Friday to set up a new agency in April 2019 to deal with an increase in foreign workers and earmarked 18.1 billion yen for the agency in a draft budget for the next fiscal year.
The Immigration Bureau, which is currently under the Justice Ministry and has 4,870 officials, will be reorganized and upgraded to become the "immigration and residence control agency," a satellite organization of the ministry with 5,432 officials.
The agency is expected to have an "immigration control division" and a "residence control support division" to reinforce entry and departure screenings and measures to prevent illegal stays.
Justice Minister Takashi Yamashita said at a press conference, "We will make efforts to realize a multicultural and inclusive society by managing the residency [of foreign workers] and making overall adjustments to develop an environment to accept them in an appropriate manner."
Meanwhile, the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry plans to create an "office for foreign human resource acceptance and employment" in the Employment Security Bureau. In preparation for an influx of foreign workers, the new office will be tasked with implementing measures for purposes such as accepting them smoothly and managing their employment.
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