The Japanese government's recent decision to expand the residency status for foreign workers with specified skills has been well-received by the business community. However, it remains to be seen whether this move will effectively address the labor shortages in the country, which are exacerbated by a declining population. The government has decided to broaden the sectors covered by the Type 2 status, which is granted to highly skilled individuals who have passed skill tests. General workers are given the Type 1 status, allowing them to live in Japan for up to five years. In contrast, Type 2 status holders can renew their residency indefinitely and are even allowed to bring their families to the country. The recent decision includes nine new sectors, such as automobile repair and maintenance, aviation, accommodations, agriculture, and food services, within the scope of the Type 2 status. The chairman of the Japan Business Federation (Keidanren), Masakazu Tokura, emphasized the i...

The Japanese government has recently announced an action plan with the objective of increasing consumption by foreign visitors to Japan. This plan, which was approved at a ministerial meeting on Tuesday, focuses on attracting visitors for business, research, and other non-sightseeing purposes. The goal is to enhance their spending to ¥860 billion by 2025, representing a 20% increase compared to the pre-pandemic level in 2019. Rather than solely prioritizing the number of visitors, the action plan was developed to introduce a series of measures that encourage higher consumption by foreign visitors. In total, 78 measures will be implemented in three key areas: business, education and research, and culture, arts, sports, and nature.   One of the key objectives of the plan is to increase the number of international conferences hosted in Japan, aiming to reach the top five in the world rankings by 2030. Additionally, the plan seeks to raise the number of foreign visitors who visit...