Current Developments and Future Challenges
Officially, Japan’s immigration policy opens the country’s borders exclusively for temporary immigration and the highly skilled group. De facto, however, two thirds of the immigrant population fail to meet one or both of these criteria.This discrepancy between political aspiration and actual result has existed under all Japanese governments over the last two decades. It enables some labor-intensive sectors that are looking for workers – such as agriculture or the construction industry – to admit some degree of international labor migration but to do so without naming it as such and having to engage in the ensuing public discourse on the subject.
