The Cabinet approved a bill Friday that would overhaul the nation's immigration control law by introducing new visa categories for foreign workers, in an attempt to address the graying population and shrinking workforce.
"Creating a new residence status to accept foreign workers is of utmost importance as the nation's population declines and businesses suffer from lack of personnel," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said at a news conference on the day.
Although details remain hazy, the new bill marks a departure from previous policy in allowing foreign individuals to work in blue-collar industries for a potentially indefinite amount of time if certain conditions, such as holding a valid employment contract, are met.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.