Tokyo

The number of non-Japanese people residing in Japan as specified skilled workers, a new residency status introduced in April, totaled 219 as of the end of September, the Immigration Services Agency said Wednesday.

The figure was up 199 from the end of June, but the pace of growth is not as fast as expected. The government expects to accept up to 340,000 such workers over the next five years in 14 industries that face serious labor shortages, including nursing and construction.

To gain the new status, foreigners need to pass both skill and Japanese-language tests or have done three years of technical training in Japan.

Of the total, 176 people obtained the status by doing such training and only a total of 26 people in the restaurant and accommodation sectors were exam passers, according to the agency.

As of the end of last month, only six countries, excluding Japan, conducted such skill and language tests. Sectors covered by the tests came to only six.

A delay in the development of rules involving emigration procedures in foreign countries is a major obstacle for the new initiative. As a result, no such tests were conducted in Vietnam, and exam passers in the Philippines are having problems coming to Japan.

The agency plans to urge relevant countries to set up necessary systems swiftly.

As of the end of September, the number of specified skilled workers was largest in the food and beverage industry, at 49, followed by the industrial machinery industry, at 43, the materials industry, at 42, and the agricultural industry, at 31.

By nationality, Vietnamese topped the list of foreigners residing in Japan under the new status, at 93, followed by Indonesians, at 33, Filipinos, at 27, and Thais, at 23.

Jiji Press