Japan Opens 18 Industries to Foreign Workers Under Specified Skilled Worker Programme

• Japan has announced that its Specified Skilled Worker (i) programme covers 18 employment fields open to foreign nationals
• The programme spans a wide range of sectors, from nursing care and construction to forestry, railway operations, and linen services
• Three newly added fields, including logistics warehousing and resource recycling, are still having their details pages developed

Japan has expanded access to its labour market for foreign nationals by listing 18 industries under its Specified Skilled Worker (i) programme, covering a broad sweep of sectors from healthcare to heavy industry.

The programme, published by the Japanese government, is designed to address critical labour shortages across the country by allowing skilled foreign workers to take up employment in roles that have proven difficult to fill domestically.

Japan: 18 fields open to foreign workers

The full list of industries covered under the Specified Skilled Worker (i) category is as follows:

1. Nursing Care
2. Building Cleaning Management
3. Construction Industry
4. Industrial product manufacturing
5. Shipbuilding and Ship Machinery Industries
6. Automobile Repair and Maintenance
7. Aviation Industry
8. Accommodation Industry
9. Automobile transportation business
10. Railway
11. Agriculture
12. Fishery and Aquaculture Industries
13. Food and Beverage Manufacturing Industries
14. Forestry
15. Wood Industry
16. Resource Recycling Field
17. Linen Services Field
18. Logistics Warehouse Field

The Specified Skilled Worker (i) visa category is one of two tiers within Japan's skilled worker framework, targeting people with practical skills and knowledge in specific industries. It is widely seen as a significant shift in Japan's historically restrictive immigration and foreign employment policies, as the country grapples with an ageing population and a shrinking domestic workforce.

Visit the official Specified Skilled Worker programme page for the full details on each eligible field and application requirements.

In a similar report, Legit.ng published that New Zealand named eight countries whose citizens can apply for work visas in specific occupations.

UK skilled worker visas: Jobs eligible

Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that the UK announced 25 jobs that may qualify foreign workers for Skilled Worker visas at lower salary rates, including roles in healthcare, construction, science, agriculture and the arts.

But not every worker can use the reduced threshold: eligibility depends on the job and, for some applicants, when they first received their certificate of sponsorship. Find out which roles qualify and the salary requirements attached to each.