Society

Japan's entry ban keeps Indonesian, Filipino workers in limbo

Jan 26 (Nikkei) - As Japan continues to impose strict entry restrictions, foreigners who have prepared to work there are being left outside ever longer, patiently waiting without losing hope, though frustrations over Tokyo's border controls are growing.

Japan closed the border to foreign nationals on Nov. 30, three weeks after a similar ban that had been put in place much earlier in the COVID-19 pandemic, blocking foreign business travelers, students and technical intern trainees, was lifted on Nov. 8. Then, in mid-January, the government announced an extension of the ban on new foreign arrivals until end of February as it tries to stop the spread of the omicron variant.

The Japanese government introduced the residency status of "specified skilled worker" in April 2019 for foreign nationals willing to work in any of 14 industries. The proficiency test has been conducted in eight Asian countries outside Japan, and the number of successful applicants has exceeded 23,000. By industry, nursing care and the agriculture and food sector are the most common workplaces.

The number of successful applicants is below 13,000 in Indonesia and about 5,500 in the Philippines, together accounting for nearly 80% of the total. But most of them have not been able to enter Japan as technical interns. ...continue reading

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