The Tamesis
December 24, 2025
Tokyo – The government on Tuesday presented plans to a panel of experts to take in as many as 1,231,900 foreign workers by the end of fiscal 2028.
Among them, about 800,000 people have status of residence under the specified skills system, and about 420,000 people are under the skills training system that will replace the technical intern system from 2027.
The government will discuss the plan with the ruling party and the cabinet will make a decision in late January.
Under the proposed plan, the government aims to take in 805,700 workers in 19 fields over three years starting in fiscal 2026 under the specific skills system, which allows people to be employed long-term.
The government initially planned to take in 820,000 workers over five years from fiscal 2024, but that number was revised down as factors such as artificial intelligence drive productivity improvements.
Regarding the Skill Development Employment Scheme, the government expects to receive as many as 426,200 workers in 17 sectors within two years. This is the first time the government has announced the number of recipients of the scheme.
In order to alleviate the domestic labor shortage problem, workers are trained in certain skills and encouraged to transfer to the specific skills system.
The technical intern training system generally prohibits job-hopping, but those who participate in the system can work for other employers in the same sector after one or two years.
The technical intern trainee system that has problems such as excessive overtime work and delayed wages will be abolished.
According to statistics from the Immigration Bureau, as of the end of June, there were approximately 449,400 technical intern trainees. An agency official said the number of workers under the new program will be less than under the technical intern program.
According to the draft operating guidelines, the industrial products manufacturing industry will receive 319,200 workers, the most of any industry, followed by the construction industry with 199,500, followed by the food and beverage manufacturing industry with 194,900, and the nursing industry with 167,000.
Other industries will also be introduced, such as logistics and warehousing, which is expected to receive 18,300 people; linen supply, which is expected to receive 7,700 pieces; and resource recycling, which is expected to receive 4,500 pieces.
The cap for each sector is calculated by subtracting the projected labor shortage from the estimated growth in workers due to factors such as increased numbers of women in the workforce and improved productivity. These restrictions are also enacted to avoid negative impacts on the employment of Japanese citizens. When the upper limit is reached, the intake of foreign workers will be suspended.
