Japan** is preparing to establish a new training system for foreign workers to acquire the necessary skills within three years to qualify for a Category 1 or Category 2 visa under the Alien Residence System. On February 9, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said he would promote institutional reforms "from the perspective of positioning Japan as an attractive destination for foreign human resources." Once approved, the new system will replace the foreign trainee system established in 1993. The trainee system has been criticized for helping employers to use trainees as cheap labor.
Under the new system, employers are required to explain what skills foreign workers need to acquire and to implement relevant training and assessments. If a foreign worker passes the Japanese Language Proficiency and Specific Skills Test, he or she will be able to obtain a Category 1 visa, allowing him or her to work in Japan for up to five years. Foreign workers will have the opportunity to stay in Japan indefinitely if they pass a higher level of professional testing and receive a Category 2 visa. In addition, foreign nationals with Type 2 visas can live in Japan with their families.
The new system will also allow trainees to change jobs within their peers, provided that certain conditions are met, including working in the same workplace for more than one year and passing the Japanese language proficiency and job skills test.