Sunday’s Yomiuri and Nikkei took up remarks made to the press on Saturday by Prime Minister Kishida who suggested updating the immigration system in order to attract highly skilled foreign professionals. The present system dates from 2012. “Japan lags behind other countries in efforts to attract skilled professionals,” he was quoted as saying. “The existing system needs to be revamped.”….Read more

TOKYO — Desperate to secure labor for his small factory, Toshiaki Funakubo turned to Chinese “trainees,” who came to Japan to acquire technical expertise and skills, for about two decades until around 2010, the time when China overtook Japan as the world’s second-largest economy.   He treated them just like other workers. He invited them to his house for New Year’s….Read more

To enhance the growth potential of the Japanese economy, it is essential to accelerate the creation of new businesses and the streamlining of operations through the use of digital technology. The development of digital personnel who can tackle these tasks should be hastened.   This year’s white paper on information and communications compiled by the Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry….Read more

TOKYO – A government panel on Monday agreed on a record hike of 31 yen in the average minimum wage for fiscal 2022 to 961 yen ($7.28) an hour, ending prolonged consultations as Japan battles accelerating inflation amid Russia’s war in Ukraine.   The figure marks a 3.3 percent increase from the 930 yen in fiscal 2021, keeping the momentum intact….Read more

The Saturday editions of all national dailies wrote that Justice Minister Furukawa told reporters on Friday that the GOJ will set up a panel of experts by the end of this year to discuss a full-scale review of Japan’s foreign technical intern program in order to address human rights issues involving foreign trainees, including harassment, abuse, and low wages. The….Read more

SENDAI — Harassment and other abuses of foreign trainees in Japan are mounting, arousing criticism that the supervisory agency in charge of the government-sponsored technical internship program has failed in its role to oversee the program.   According to support groups, investigations into companies that accept foreign trainees have been insufficient at best, while, years after the program’s inception, there is….Read more

SHIKO UEDA, Nikkei staff writer   TOKYO — Japan will make it easier to bring in talented foreign workers to regions outside the metropolitan areas by offering a fast-track path to permanent residency.   The government will revise a point system that grades individuals based on annual income, educational backgrounds and job experience. Those with high scores receive preferential treatment.….Read more

Tokyo, July 5 (Jiji Press)–Companies in Japan raised monthly wages by 2.07 pct, or 6,004 yen, per employee as a result of this year’s “shunto” spring labor-management talks, the Japanese Trade Union Confederation, or Rengo, said Tuesday.     The figure was up 0.29 percentage point, or 824 yen, from the previous year’s shunto, and topped 2 pct for the first time….Read more

The labor ministry plans to start compiling new statistics for foreign workers in Japan to monitor factors such as their wages, working patterns and working hours from next fiscal year, The Yomiuri Shimbun has learned.   These are to be the first statistics focused on foreign workers. As basic data for labor market analysis and policy making, they will be….Read more

Tokyo, June 24 (Jiji Press)–A quarter of companies in Japan have taken measures to allow employees to work until the age of 70, a labor ministry survey showed on Friday.   Companies in Japan are required to make efforts to introduce measures to secure employment opportunities for workers until the age of 70, such as scrapping retirement age limits.   The….Read more