Japan's Proposed Rules Block Foreign Care Workers from Permanent Residency

Japan's new immigration measures would strip foreign care workers of the ability to obtain permanent residency, even after five years of certified work. This comes despite a projected shortage of 250,000 workers in the care sector, which currently employs 90,000 foreigners. The policy risks exacerbating labor shortages in rural areas and strained industries.

The proposed rules target a workforce already stretched thin. Japan's care sector employs roughly 90,000 foreign workers while facing a projected shortfall of 250,000. Many of these workers come from Southeast Asian nations such as Indonesia and Vietnam, drawn by scholarships and certification pathways that have existed for years.

Beyond care work, the October fee increase—twenty times current levels—and the income threshold of 5.8 million yen would exclude most foreign employees in hospitality, agriculture, fishing, tourism, and manufacturing. Chiba University professor Reiko Ogawa notes that without these workers, numerous care facilities would have already closed.