• The functions of supervising organizations and registered support organizations are important. However, it is necessary
to regulate or eliminate supervising organizations that are incapable of preventing and addressing human rights
violations as well as registered support organizations that are incapable of appropriately supporting specified skilled
workers.
• Improve the supervisory and support functions of supervising organizations and registered support organizations by
tightening the requirements (keep discussing the functions and requirements, including incentives for excellent
organizations).
• Improve the supervisory and support functions of the Organization for Technical Intern Training by providing it with
necessary resources.
• Conclude effective Memorandums of Cooperation with sending countries to eradicate unscrupulous sending
organizations and promote similar efforts.
Interim Report (Summary) (Advisory Panel of Experts on Ideal Form of Technical Intern Training Program and Specified Skilled Worker System)
New program/system
Amid the increasingly severe labor shortage, foreign nationals are integral pillars of Japan’s economy and society. Given such circumstances, we must bear in mind that we should realize a
society of harmonious coexistence with foreign nationals, safeguard their human rights, and strive to appropriately accept foreign nationals as important members of our industries, economy,
and local communities. This will realize a diverse, dynamic society in which foreign nationals working in Japan can demonstrate their full potentials and consequently contribute to easing the
serious labor shortage. From these viewpoints, we intend to resolve the issues facing the existing technical intern training program and the specified skilled worker system and gain
international understanding.
Viewpoints of Discussions
Direction of Discussions
How to design systems that reflect
desirable purposes and actual needs
Aiming to make international
contributions through human
resource development
Not allowed as a general rule
• Insufficient supervisory and
support functions of supervising
organizations, registered support
organizations, and the
Organization for Technical Intern
Training
• Unscrupulous organizations
sending foreign nationals
No requirements for technical intern
trainees’ Japanese language
proficiency or educational level
Inconsistencies between the job
categories of the technical intern
training program and the industrial
fields of the specified skilled worker
system
• Consider abolishing the current technical intern training program and establishing a new program (thoroughly review the
current program to reflect the reality of its roles) aimed at securing and developing human resources (develop unskilled
workers into workers with a certain level of expertise or skills) .
• Consider continuing to use the current specified skilled worker system while making necessary improvements and, in
the meantime, keep discussing the relationship with the new program and how to improve governmental supervisory
and support functions.
Lack of transparency in the process
of deciding the expected numbers of
foreign nationals to be accepted
Ease the overall restrictions on employer changes in order to fulfill the purposes of the new program and protect foreign
nationals because of the inclusion of securing human resources as a purpose, but retain to some degree the restrictions
on employer changes specifically aimed at human resource development (keep discussing how restrictions on employer
changes should be designed).
Take measures to ensure that foreign nationals have the necessary Japanese language proficiency before starting work in
Japan and establish a system that can help them gradually enhance their Japanese language proficiency after arrival to
ensure that foreign workers have a certain level of Japanese proficiency.
• Consider aligning the job categories of the new program with the industrial fields of the specified skilled worker system
(develop and assess the essential skills of foreign nationals and keep discussing how such assessment should be
conducted).
• Consider reviewing all job categories and industrial fields as well as applying the status of Specified Skilled Worker (ii) to
other industrial fields, and discuss how these industrial fields should be selected based on the necessity of such job
categories and industrial fields.
Issue
Establishing a career-path that enables
foreign nationals to continue
to grow and to play active roles
over the mid- to long-term
How to decide the numbers of
foreign nationals that can be
expected to be accepted
How employer changes should be handled
(for technical intern training program)
How supervisory and support functions
should be provided
Efforts to enhance the Japanese language
proficiency of foreign nationals
Current situation
Introduce a system whereby the efforts of ministries and agencies in charge of industrial fields are assessed and the
expected numbers of foreign nationals to be accepted and industrial fields to accept foreign nationals are decided based
on stakeholders’ opinions and evidence in order to ensure process transparency.
The Advisory Panel will discuss the details of the new program and system in line with the direction of discussions described in the interim report and draw up the final report by autumn
2023.
Future Discussions
May 11, 2023