The government presented a legal revision that will abolish the controversial technical intern training programme in order to train unskilled foreign workers and facilitate their attainment of medium- to long-term employment opportunities in Japan.

Restriction on changing employers has been accused of fostering infringement on the human rights of foreign nationals under the current system. The new skill developing worker programme seeks to allow trainees to switch jobs within the same industry. However, proposed criteria to do so makes it practically difficult to transfer.

Under the new system, the government expects trainees to achieve a certain level of skill within three years, then smoothly transition to “specified skilled” residence status that leads to permanent residence.

On the other hand, the government plans to introduce new procedures for revocation of residence status of permanent residents as the increase in permanent residents through the new programme will be expected. This could have a tremendous impact on all foreign nationals who have made Japan their permanent home.