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Agriculture

Japanese farms turn to foreign workers as rural population ages

Staffing company recruits temporary labor from places such as Southeast Asia

Japan introduced its "specified skilled worker" program in April 2019 to bring in foreign staff for 12 sectors facing labor shortages. (Photo courtesy of Persol Global Workforce)

TOKYO -- Farms across Japan are increasingly turning to temporary workers from Southeast Asia and beyond for help during busy seasons, as a shrinking rural population and aging local workforce stoke labor shortages at home.

As part of this shift, Persol Holdings, one of Japan's largest temporary staffing firms, in March launched a service to send foreign workers to farms for seasonal jobs such as harvesting.

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