Bringing Foreign Workers to Japan—Initiatives for the Employment for Skill Development Program (①Immigration Services Agency ②Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare)

This fiscal year, the FPCJ has been 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.

The field-specific operating policies for the Specified Skilled Worker System and the Employment for Skill Development Program were decided at the January 23, 2026 meetings of the Cabinet and the Ministerial Council on the Acceptance of Foreign Nationals and the Realization of a Society of Well-Ordered and Harmonious Coexistence. With an expected (maximum) number of approximately 430,000 workers being accepted through the Employment for Skill Development Program over two years from April 2027, the government policy is to have a maximum of approximately 1.23 million workers total together with the Specified Skilled Worker System.

With competition over acquiring human resources and efforts to strengthen industrial competitiveness accelerating worldwide, what effects will the implementation of the Employment for Skill Development Program have on Japanese industry and society through mid- to long-term activity by foreign workers in fields facing labor shortages?

The FPCJ has invited the two briefers listed below to discuss bringing foreign workers to Japan and initiatives for the Employment for Skill Development Program, including the goals behind the design of the program and how it will be operated moving forward.


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).

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.

Please send any questions for the briefer or topics you are interested in to cp@fpcjpn.or.jp by 12:00 on Monday, March 16.
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.