Date : September 30, 2025
Japan Moving Towards Expanding Acceptance of Foreign Workers (Mr. Toshihiro Menju, Visiting Professor, Kansai University of International Studies)
post date : 2025.09.11
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This fiscal year, the FPCJ will be hosting a series of briefings about bringing in foreign workers to Japan, inviting government officials, experts, and people directly involved to discuss the topic from a variety of angles.
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Due to population decline and a labor shortage, there has been a rapid increase in foreign workers in Japan, with the number of foreign residents in Japan reaching 3.77 million in 2024, meaning 1 person in every 29 in Japan is a foreign national. Previously, the majority of foreign workers were under the Technical Intern Training Program established in 1993, but the June 2024 revision to the Immigration Control Act based around the Specified Skilled Worker System has started a new era for foreign workers in Japan. The national government has also been moving forward with a fundamental revision of policies for accepting foreign workers, and plans to engage in further discussion of the state of the economy and society.
The FPCJ has invited Mr. Toshihiro Menju, a visiting professor at the Kansai University of International Studies who has spent many years researching and making proposals on policies for foreign workers, to kick off this series by discussing from a variety of angles issues for Japan bringing in foreign workers, relevant systems which should be established, multicultural coexistence, and the outlook for policies on foreign workers in an age of population decline.
Please note that you cannot physically attend this briefing, as it will be a Zoom webinar.
Embassy representatives and FPCJ supporting members may also participate in the briefing as observers (admission free).
■Date & Time: 14:00-15:30, Tuesday, September 30, 2025 (Deadline for application: 12:00, Monday, September 29)
■Theme: Japan Moving Towards Expanding Acceptance of Foreign Workers
■Briefer: Mr. Toshihiro Menju, Visiting Professor, Kansai University of International Studies
Brief Bio: Born in 1954. Graduated from the Keio University Faculty of Law. Received a Master’s in Public Policy from Evergreen State College in the US. Withdrew from J. F. Oberlin University after finishing the coursework for a PhD. After working for the Hyogo Prefectural Government, he began working at the Japan Center for International Exchange in 1988 and later became its managing director. He specializes in immigration policy and regional revitalization.
■Language: Japanese, with consecutive English interpretation
As in our standard press briefings, there will be a Q&A session at the end.
*In principle, questions will only be accepted from members of the foreign press.
■Members of the Foreign Press:
Please send any questions for the briefer or topics you are interested in to cp@fpcjpn.or.jp by 12:00 on Thursday, September 25.
As there will only be a limited amount of time to ask questions during the briefing, we will collect questions and provide them to the briefer in advance.
■How to Apply: Please refer to the email we sent.
*We will not be accepting applications by email.