Category Archives: Immigration

外国人労働者、５％増の68万人　10月

January 31, 2012 in Immigration, News

厚生労働省は27日、2011年10月時点での外国人雇用の届け出状況を発表した。外国人労働者数は68万6246人となり、届け出ベースで前年比5.6％増えた。

Japan to start grading skilled foreign workers in spring

December 29, 2011 in Immigration, News

Under the new system, the government will classify professions into three categories — academic research, work requiring highly specialized skills, and management and administration.

Immigration changes to come as new law takes effect in July

December 21, 2011 in Immigration, News

Documented foreigners will have their maximum period of stay extended to five years instead of the current three years. Re-entry to Japan will also be allowed without applying for a permit as long as the time away is less than a year.

Schizophrenic Constitution leaves foreigners’ rights mired in confusion

November 11, 2011 in Discrimination, Immigration, News

So what rights do foreign residents have under the Constitution? Well, according to the Supreme Court, they are entitled to all the same rights as Japanese people, except for those which by their nature are only to be enjoyed by Japanese people.

Japan’s population marks slowest growth in 2010

October 28, 2011 in Immigration, News

“While Japan has entered an era of population decline, its total population has been flat because of an increase in foreign nationals,” a ministry official said.

Vietnamese to be trained as nurses

October 21, 2011 in Immigration, News, Nursing

While more than 1,300 candidate nurses and caregivers have traveled to Japan from the two countries, only 19 have passed Japan’s qualification examination for nurses, due largely to language difficulties.

Expats in Japan face hard choices

August 23, 2011 in ALT, Eikaiwa, Immigration, News

Radiation leaks, contaminated crops and water, plutonium released into the air and ocean, have made expats in Japan question whether to stay or head back home, especially in the face of pressure from family and loved ones.

10% of foreign residents have left disaster-hit prefectures

August 1, 2011 in Immigration, News, Trainees

“Many foreigners returned to their countries after the disaster and have not returned to Japan as they are concerned about the nuclear crisis” at the Fukushima No. 1 power plant, an official in the ministry’s Immigration Bureau said.

Bye-bye to the gaijin card, welcome to the Juki Net in ’12

July 12, 2011 in Immigration, News

According to the Immigration Bureau, the Ministry of Justice and immigration lawyers, the new law will bring about a few major changes.