Japan to offer foreign workers chance for permanent residency

Two-tier visa status planned for next April to ease labor shortage

20181011N Foreign workers

Foreign technical interns in fields such as agriculture will be eligible for the new visa after three years of training.

HIONA SHIRAIWA, Nikkei staff writer

TOKYO -- Skilled workers that come to Japan will be eligible for a new type of visa that can be renewed indefinitely -- and thus essentially confers permanent residency -- as the nation races to relieve chronic labor shortages.

The government will create a two-tier visa status for foreign workers next April, according to Ministry of Justice drafts of relevant bills and government guidelines. The ministry will submit legislative revisions to parliament during the session convening this month.

Sponsored Content

About Sponsored ContentThis content was commissioned by Nikkei's Global Business Bureau.