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July 24, 2026
 

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FOREIGN TRAINEES

Team Mirai head Takahiro Anno speaks to reporters in Tokyo on Feb. 8.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Politics
Feb 17, 2026
AI could replace foreign workers in Japan, Team Mirai says
While some parties during Lower House campaigning argued for strictly monitoring foreign nationals or setting quotas, Team Mirai sees AI as a means to replacing them altogether.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara (far left) speaks in a meeting of ministers on policies regarding foreign nationals and immigration at the Prime Minister's Office on Friday.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø
Jan 23, 2026
Government unveils tighter policies on immigration and foreign residents
¡°We drafted this policy package to respond to citizens¡¯ sense of anxiety and unfairness,¡± said Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara.
People take Japanese language lessons at a job placement company in Hanoi. Vietnamese now make up a quarter of Japan¡¯s 2.3-million-strong foreign workforce.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Crime & Legal / FOCUS
Jan 19, 2026
Vietnamese caught in Japan¡¯s illegal worker crackdown
Many come to Japan under its Technical Intern Training Program, which is billed as a way for foreign workers to learn skills to take back to developing countries.
Under the plan, only sectors where shortages remain severe after those adjustments would be permitted to accept foreign labor.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Society
Dec 23, 2025
Japan aims to take in 1.23M foreign workers under labor migration programs
The number was calculated by estimating labor shortages at the end of fiscal 2028 and subtracting expected gains from productivity improvements and domestic recruitment.
Ukrainian-born Aonishiki (right) is promoted to ¨­zeki during a ceremony in Kurume, Fukuoka Prefecture, on Wednesday.
EDITORIALS
Nov 28, 2025
A sumo champion shows Japan¡¯s real feelings about foreigners
Japan recognizes that it needs foreign nationals. Foreign residents bring energy and innovation to this country, and they help Japan and the Japanese create and produce.
The Justice Ministry's figures show the number of specified skilled worker visa holders hit a record high as of the end of June.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø
Sep 30, 2025
Skilled worker visa holders hit record high ahead of new visa program
The Justice Ministry stated that the goal for a new program set to be rolled out in 2027 is to make Japan a ¡°country of choice¡± for foreign workers amid a labor shortage.
Hiroyuki Goto, president of GTN. The company started after Goto personally co-signed leases for around 20 non-Japanese people, including some friends and friends of friends.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 31, 2025
GTN takes a chance on newcomers to Japan
People said GTN President Hiroyuki Goto was ¡°a bit crazy¡± guaranteeing leases for foreign residents.
Saga Prefectural Police officials speak during a news conference held in the city of Imari, Saga Prefecture, early Monday following the arrest of a Vietnamese man a day earlier on suspicion of murder.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Crime & Legal
Jul 28, 2025
Vietnamese technical intern arrested over Saga murder
The 24-year-old man is suspected to have broken into a Japanese language teacher¡¯s house, where he allegedly robbed and killed her.
Students hoping to work in Japan attend a Japanese class at a job placement company in Hanoi in October 2022.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / FOCUS
Jul 28, 2025
Japan to start new residency system for foreign workers
The aim is to systematically develop foreign human resources and ensure they stay?in Japanese workplaces for the long term.
Pham Thi Bich Hau (fifth from left) began translating and interpreting for the Vietnamese community in Japan in 2013, when she was working for a trainee management organization. She went on to found the Vietnam Women's Union in Japan, organizing activities like the Tet festival pictured here.
COMMUNITY / Issues / The Foreign Element
Jul 21, 2025
The mothers holding up Japan¡¯s Vietnamese community
Online support groups and in-person events are helping Vietnamese women from all walks of life manage motherhood abroad.
Trainees from Indonesia and Vietnam learn about the mechanisms of train doors using a model at East Japan Railway's training center in Shirakawa, Fukushima Prefecture, in March.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / FOCUS
May 14, 2025
JR East to start training foreign nationals under new skills program
JR East aims to train around 100 people each year, and more than 10 railway operators have already expressed interest in joining the initiative.
The Immigration Services Agency in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward
51³Ô¹ÏÍø
Mar 26, 2025
Imabari Shipbuilding loses technical intern certification
The firm will be unable to accept foreign trainees for the next five years.
A Vietnamese worker harvests tomatoes at a farm in the city of Asahi, Chiba Prefecture, in 2018.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø
Mar 11, 2025
Amid labor shortage, Japan approves guidelines to upskill foreign workers
The new program aims to nurture trainees into skilled workers to motivate them to remain in the country.
The three Cambodian women are seeking compensation for damages over alleged sexual abuse and unpaid overtime wages.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Crime & Legal
Dec 17, 2024
Cambodian interns accuse farmer of sexual abuse and wage theft
One woman was raped nearly every day and endured conditions ¡°akin to sexual slavery,¡± the three women¡¯s lawyer said in a statement.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi (second from left) speaks at a ministerial meeting on foreign workers at the Prime Minister's Office on Tuesday.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø
Dec 17, 2024
Japan begins process to replace controversial foreign trainee program
An expert panel has been appointed to assist the government in drafting a system to replace the controversial Technical Intern Training Program.
Leaders of over 70 universities and research institutions from Japan and India attended a forum in New Delhi in mid-October.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø
Nov 19, 2024
Japan¡¯s public and private sectors seek workers from India
The number of technical trainees and what are known as specified skilled workers coming from India to Japan has been on the rise in recent years.
Vietnamese technical interns work at a food processing factory in Saitama Prefecture.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø
Nov 1, 2024
Criteria revealed for technical interns in Japan looking to change jobs
Applicants can select from a wide range of specific ¡°unavoidable¡± situations, such as being the victim of harassment, set out in a list attached to the application form.
Justice Minister Ryuji Koizumi speaks to reporters in Tokyo on Friday. Koizumi stressed that the granting of the special residency permits to children subjected to deportation orders was a one-time measure.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Politics
Sep 27, 2024
Japan fine-tunes issuance of humanitarian visas
The move comes amid a near-tripling of technical intern trainees from Myanmar going missing from their programs in 2023.
Out of a total of 509,373 foreign technical trainees, 1.9% went missing in 2023, according to Immigration Services Agency data.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Society
Sep 27, 2024
Record number of technical trainees go missing in Japan in 2023
Of the total, 1,765 were Myanmar nationals who had fled conflict in their home country.
The labor ministry plans to compile a report on foreign workers by the end of fiscal 2024 and use it to improve measures to secure and retain foreign human resources.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø
Jul 4, 2024
Japan to survey job changes by foreign care workers
The labor ministry aims to improve measures to secure and retain foreign human resources.
Japan scientists identify clusters of protein believed to trigger Alzheimer¡¯s disease
A team of researchers said they found a ¡°seed¡± that accelerates the amyloid beta accumulation process in the brain, naming it ¡°Peak 1 amyloid beta,¡± as seen in a mouse's brain.
Indian brothers make manga debut in Japan
Two Indian brothers made their manga debut in Japan with "Kung Fu Kung Fool" ¡ª an action-comedy series that follows the adventures of a notorious thief and a young boy.
Japan weighs regulating Pokemon cards amid trading mania
A Pokemon event is held in Jakarta on July 11
Low-income families in Japan cut food and air conditioning during summer break
Yumiko Watanabe, the chairperson of nonprofit Kidsdoor, explains the results of a survey in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward on July 1.
Iran strikes on CIA facilities prompt questions about possible Russian role
Iranian drones are displayed in an undisclosed location in Iran, in this handout image obtained on Jan. 13, 2025.U.S. officials have acknowledged that Russia has ?provided targeting ?and other support for Iran in its drone strikes on U.S. targets in the Persian Gulf region.
The sci-fi sensibilities of electronic trio Black Boboi
Black Boboi was formed in 2018 when solo artists Julia Shortreed, Utena Kobayashi and Ermhoi came together under Kobayashi¡¯s newly founded label, Bindividual.
A perfect storm: Kaze Fujii fans flock to Fuji Rock
Okayama-born singer-songwriter Kaze Fujii has carved out a distinctive place in Japanese pop since his major-label debut in 2019.
Can Japanese comedy get laughs in English? Yoshimoto Kogyo lets the jokes rip
Wes-P has millions of followers and his viral clips made him recognizable out of Japan.
The 180-day locals: Life on Japan¡¯s digital nomad visa
Christopher Flinn works remotely from Tokyo earlier this month. Japan issued 646 digital nomad visas in 2025, but tourism officials are hoping to increase that figure in the coming years, with Japan's relatively cheap cost of living and the weak yen seen as potential draws for young professionals.
Japan reveals hint of new defense spending target in fiscal blueprint
The Self-Defense Forces' Type 16 mobile combat vehicle fires during a joint live-fire drill with U.S. Marines as part of the annual Resolute Dragon exercises in Yufu, Oita Prefecture, on June 28.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo¡¯s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo¡¯s ¡®stadium of desire¡¯

Longform

For many people, utility poles and power lines have become such a familiar part of Japan¡¯s landscape that they often go unnoticed.
Why Japan¡¯s utility poles won¡¯t be disappearing anytime soon
By Alex K.T. Martin

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