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(EAST ASIA FORUM)Japan’s immigration politics starves restaurants of workers

Release Date
2026-05-21
Media
EAST ASIA FORUM
Summary
Japan suspended new recruitment under the Type 1 Specified Skilled Worker (SSW) visa program for the restaurant industry in April 2026 after reaching its 50,000-worker quota. The situation highlights a mismatch between fixed government quotas and actual labour demand, especially after the post-pandemic recovery sharply increased hiring needs in the restaurant sector.

The SSW program, introduced to address labour shortages, has become increasingly important for restaurants because the industry cannot use the Technical Intern Training Program. Major restaurant chains expanded overseas recruitment and training, but the sudden suspension disrupted workers, employers, and Japanese language schools abroad.

The issue has also become politically sensitive. Since the rise of the conservative Sanseito and the leadership of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, immigration policy has faced stronger political resistance. Although businesses are urging the government to expand quotas, the administration is expected to act cautiously to avoid backlash from anti-immigration supporters. The debate now reflects a broader conflict between Japan’s economic need for foreign workers and growing nationalist sentiment.
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Specified Skilled Worker

News Articles including "Specified Skilled Worker"

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Article Title
Tags
2026-05-21
Japan’s immigration politics starves restaurants of workers(EAST ASIA FORUM)
Specified Skilled Worker
2026-04-15
Japan suspends new visas for foreign restaurant workers as quota nears(Japan Today)
Specified Skilled Worker
2026-04-13
Japan freezes visa applications for foreign restaurant workers(Japan Times)
Specified Skilled Worker
2026-03-27
Japan to freeze visas for food service industry as quota nears(The Asahi Shimbun)
Specified Skilled Worker
2026-02-12
Japan's truck driver shortage sparks hiring spree in Vietnam, Indonesia(NIKKEI Asia)
Specified Skilled Worker
2025-12-23
Japan eyes capping foreign workers at 426,000 under new training system(NIKKEI Asia)
Specified Skilled Worker,Technical Intern Training,Training employment
2025-11-07
Japan Rethinks Immigration Amid Labor Shortage and Foreign Population Rise (JAPAN Forward)
Specified Skilled Worker
2025-09-30
Foreigners in Japan with skilled visa hits record high(Kazinform International)
Specified Skilled Worker
2025-05-27
Japan considers lower language hurdles for foreign bus, cab drivers(NIKKEI Asia)
Specified Skilled Worker
2025-05-13
Japan eyes skilled worker visas for waste, warehouse management(NIKKEI Asia)
Specified Skilled Worker
2025-04-12
Japan firm seeks to ease hiring process for foreign truck drivers(NIKKEI Asia)
Specified Skilled Worker
2025-03-23
Japan trucking sector eyes drivers from Indonesia, Vietnam amid shortage(NIKKEI Asia)
Specified Skilled Worker
2025-02-22
Indonesian bus driver to be first to work under new Japan visa status(NIKKEI Asia)
Specified Skilled Worker
2024-12-24
Most of Japan's skilled foreign workers who quit do so within a year()
Specified Skilled Worker
2024-11-23
Japan Job Market Points to Shift on Immigration(Newsweek)
Immigration Policy, Specified Skilled Worker
2024-11-09
Japan's LEOC to hire 1,000 skilled workers a year from Southeast Asia(NIKKEI Asia)
Specified Skilled Worker,Philippines,Myanmar
2024-09-30
FY2024 International FPCJ Webinar: Population Decline and Immigration Policy: How Can Japan Become a Country To Be Chosen?(Foreign Press Center Japan)
Immigration Policy,Technical Intern Training,Training employment,Specified Skilled Worker
2024-09-17
Indonesia to more than double Japan-bound workers: labor minister(NIKKEI Asia)
Specified Skilled Worker,Indonesia
2024-08-09
Japan hotels scramble for foreign workers as tourists flood country(NIKKEI Asia)
Specified Skilled Worker
2024-06-19
Indonesia nurses wanted: Japan hospital fights global rivals for talent(NIKKEI Asia)
Specified Skilled Worker
2024-04-03
Japan welcomes 4 new 'specified skill' categories for foreign workers but challenges remain(The Mainichi)
Specified Skilled Worker
2024-03-30
News in Easy English: Japan ready to accept many more foreign workers(The Mainichi)
Immigration Policy,Specified Skilled Worker
2024-03-23
Japan to let more foreigners work as in-home caregivers(NIKKEI Asia)
Specified Skilled Worker
2024-03-23
Record 3.4 million foreign residents in Japan as work visas rise(KYODO NEWS)
Specified Skilled Worker,Population
2024-03-06
Japan considers doubling limit on skilled foreign workers(Japan Times)
Specified Skilled Worker
2024-03-05
Japan to double cap on skilled foreign workers from fiscal 2024(NIKKEI Asia)
Specified Skilled Worker
2024-02-23
Japan Plans to Add 4 Fields to ‘Specified Skilled Worker’ Visa; Including Road Transportation Fields(Japan News)
Specified Skilled Worker
2024-02-07
Japan bets on tech, immigration as labor crisis worsens(DW)
Immigration Policy,Specified Skilled Worker
2024-01-28
Japan plans to add drivers, rail staff to skilled worker visa(The Asahi Shimbun)
Specified Skilled Worker
2024-01-28
Japan preparing to add transport roles to skilled visa amid shortages(KYODO NEWS)
Specified Skilled Worker
2024-01-26
Japan eyes adding drivers, railway workers to skilled worker visa(NIKKEI Asia)
Specified Skilled Worker
2024-01-17
Measures set out to keep foreign trainees in work in quake-hit areas(Japan Times)
Specified Skilled Worker,Technical Intern Training
2023-10-10
Japan to add driving to specified foreign worker skills(Japan Times)
Specified Skilled Worker
2023-09-14
Japan set to expand visa framework to tackle driver shortage(Japan Times)
Specified Skilled Worker
2023-06-09
Japan construction firm training foreign workers to become core of workforce(The Mainichi)
Specified Skilled Worker
2023-04-25
Japan eyes long-term stays for wider range of skilled foreign workers(NIKKEI Asia)
Specified Skilled Worker