TOKYO: Japan’s government Friday approved legislation to abolish the existing technical intern program for foreign nationals and create a new system to train foreign workers amid labor shortages in the country.

The new system is intended to train unskilled foreign workers so that they will be able to acquire Type 1 residency status granted to foreign workers with so-called specified skills, allowing them to work in Japan for the medium to long term.

The government plans to submit to the current parliamentary session the legislation to amend related laws, including the immigration control and refugee recognition law, to replace the intern program with the training system. The new system is expected to begin as early as 2027 if the legislation is enacted.

As a transitional measure, foreigners accepted under the existing intern program would be allowed to stay in Japan until their three-year internship is completed, even after the new system is launched.

The new system is aimed at securing workers as many workplaces across Japan suffer from labor shortages. Accepted foreign workers will be trained to acquire skills specified under the existing scheme that grants medium- to long-term residency status to those possessing the skills.

The government hopes that foreign workers trained under the new system will be able to obtain residency status under the specified skills scheme smoothly.

The training period under the new system is three years. Those who pass skill tests and a Japanese-language proficiency test will be able to obtain Type 1 residency status under the specified skills scheme, which will allow them to work in Japan for up to five years.

Those who acquire Type 2 status, granted to highly skilled foreign workers, will be effectively allowed to live in Japan permanently and bring family members to the country.

“We’d like foreign workers to stay in Japan longer and apply higher skills to contribute to the country,” Justice Minister KOIZUMI Ryuji told a press conference.

While the current intern program does not allow foreign trainees to switch their employers in principle, the new training system will allow such a change under certain conditions. Under the new scheme, changing of employers will be allowed after a maximum of two years of employment, with the period varying depending on industries.

In order to prevent malicious brokers from luring workers to change employers, the legislation calls for toughening penalties for the crime of encouraging illegal work by foreigners to impose up to five years in prison or a fine of up to 5 million yen on offenders.

Organizations currently in charge of accepting foreign workers and supervising their employers under the intern program will be converted into monitoring and assisting organizations under the new system.

The organizations under the new system will be obliged to appoint outside auditors. The bodies’ independence and neutrality will be enhanced by limiting the involvement of executives and employees who have close relations with companies employing foreign workers.

In addition, a new organization for foreign workers under the new training system will be created mainly to help such workers switch employers.

To prepare for an expected increase in foreign nationals who wish to live in Japan for long periods, a new rule will be introduced to allow the government to revoke permanent residence permits if permit holders intentionally fail to pay taxes or social insurance premiums.

Residence cards, which foreign nationals staying in Japan over the medium to long term are obliged to carry, will be integrated into My Number personal identification cards.

JIJI Press