Foreign trainees will be allowed to switch jobs and stay in Japan even after their technical internship programs have ended, as some of them are unable to return home amid the coronavirus pandemic, the government said Tuesday.
The new measures will take effect in early September, it said.
The Immigration Services Agency said around 24,200 foreign trainees were stranded in Japan as of Friday, and the number of such interns is expected to grow, either due to travel restrictions in place globally due to the pandemic or because the workers are unable to afford the airfare home.
The government-sponsored program, established in 1993, is intended to promote international cooperation by imparting skills and knowledge in Japanese industries to developing countries.
