Japan Wants More Foreign Workers
Japan has a serious shortage of workers in farming and other areas in rural areas where the population is declining. A recent survey by Kyodo News revealed 86% of municipalities want to increase foreign labor to deal with these shortages. The survey, that covered all 47 prefectures in Japan, reported local government heads were strongly concened that their communities are at risk of disappearing or somewhat afraid the communities are at risk of disappearing. Also revealed in this survey was that 30% of the respondents felt it necessary to promote bringing in foreign workers and 56% considered it somewhat necessary, with only 8% believing it to be unnecessary or somewhat unnecessary.
The main areas with worker shortages include medical and nursing care services, agriculture, and the manufacturing industry. Other shortages of workers include taxi drivers and truck drivers.
A population forecast in April that was conducted by a research institute estimated foreign nationals will be about 10% of the population in 2070, up from around 2% in 2020. In addition, The National Institute of Population and Social Security Research predicts Japan's total population will decline by 30% to 87 million in 2070, with people 65 or older accounting for nearly 40%.
As much as I love Japan, I do think it is a difficult place for a non-Japanese person to move to. The language differences are the biggest reason, but other reasons include getting a visa and the fact that a foreigner is always different. In many other countries including the US, you cannot tell nationality by just looking at the person. In Japan, absolutely no one would look at me and mistakenly think I was Japanese. Once, I was stopped by police because I didn't look Japanese. I have been fortunate to make many friends who help me when I need it, but I would guess not all foreigners feel this way. I hope that people from other places will come to Japan and feel as welcome as I do.
4 comments:
Reports indicate that Japan will have a dire drop in population due to their low birth rates. 100 years from now I wonder what the population will be.
I agree. Although a friendly country, Japan is not easy to live in for foreigners. There is a lot of red tape, all in Japanese or 'funny' English. You need Japanese friends to look out for you, to give you of information you need, e.g. how to dispose of an old computer, how to get your Covid vaccine shot, or where to get drinking water when a typhoon has caused damage to the water supply. With fewer real people to ask and more information to be had by chat, computerised telephone recordings or online script, it will be harder to live here for 'gaijins'.
Before modern Japan, there was a long period of national isolation. Moreover, Japan is an island country. For this reason, Japan was confused about foreigners.
However, now there are many Japanese people who to build friendly relationships with foreigners.
It is important to establish rules for trainees and workers and to create programs to learn Japanese words and customs. I don't think the current laws and support are enough.
I think it would be great if people who have differently living due to persecution, discrimination, or war could come to Japan and work in various fields and live in peace.
Working and living in a foreign country is not easy, but I hope the Japanese government will consider accepting and supporting a diverse range of foreigners as soon as possible. I think this will not only stop population decline, but also give Japan a great chance in the future.
Hopefully, Japan will take measures to make it easier for foreign workers to settle there. It's the only way to encourage more people to come.
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