December 3, 1999 
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| December 3, 1999 | atimes.com | |
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| Japan Japan dusts off welcome mat for foreign workers By Suvendrini Kakuchi TOKYO - Japan says it is ready to open the door - though not too wide - to foreign workers in a move designed to avert a looming labor crunch as its society ages. ''Japan needs to accept more foreign laborers,'' says Taichi Sakaiya, director general of the Economic Planning Agency (EPA). He is spearheading a campaign to relax the current rules on foreign workers as part of recommendations for Japan's new 10-year economic plan. The EPA predicts that Japan's decreasing birth rate - currently 1.3 babies per woman - will result in a lower national pension budget and force Japanese companies to reduce production as a result of a lack of workers. Population surveys indicate that after reaching a peak in 2007 of 128 million, Japan's population is likely to decline for the first time in modern history. By 2010, Japan will need a birthrate of 2.08 percent to maintain its population. The Ministry of Health and Welfare says the population will decline by 20 percent by 2050 if the current low birthrate continues. By 2010, it adds, Japanese aged over 65 will make up 22 percent of the population. Sakaiya, who heads a panel that advises Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi on the subject, forecasts that in 10 years, the average Japanese company worker will be in his 50s or 60s, a situation that will severely restrict Japan's economic development. Sakiya is behind a program to allow long-term visas for skilled foreigners who want to work in Japan. Under recommendations from high-level officials, foreigners hired by Japanese companies as researchers, engineers, computer technicians, and in other important professions, can hold one- to three-year visas instead of the current average six-month visa. The program, however, does not cover unskilled labor - a sector that remains hotly debated among government agencies. There are estimated to be around 270,000 unskilled laborers presently working illegally in Japan. ''Factories and farms are the worst hit as a result of lack of workers,'' says Katsuo Yoshinori of the Asian People's Friendship Society, a support group comprising Asian workers, Japanese lawyers and human rights activists. ''But the government continues to refuse to acknowledge this sector and improve conditions for them - a policy that shows that the national guard against foreigners is still there.'' The sudden decision to ease deep-rooted policies that sought to protect Japan from an influx of foreign labor lies in Japan's desperate need to maintain its economic clout. An EPA survey covering 3,000 companies discovered a growing need for foreign computer experts as there are not enough Japanese workers to fill the positions. The government predicts that the country's Internet business opportunities will grow to a hefty 6.8 trillion yen ($66 billion) in the 21st century, resulting in the need for more than 300,000 computer software engineers - a situation with which Japan will not be able to cope. Go No, a Chinese national who heads a firm that recruits Chinese computer experts, says he is bombarded by requests from Japanese companies. ''I can't keep up with the requests,'' he says. ''Japanese companies are specially looking out for young technicians with software skills.'' Go says his company has grown in three years from a staff of three to 184 people, with income skyrocketing to 500 million yen last year. Despite the government's change of attitude, observers say Japan needs to legislate better settlement programs if it sincerely wants foreigners to believe they are welcome in Japan. A pressing demand is to allow skilled workers to apply for permanent residence in Japan, as they can in the United States and Canada. ''Many Chinese workers prefer to go to the West (rather than come to Japan) which offers them more security to build a future by giving them permanent status,'' Go said. Katsuo Yoshinori points out that Japan must first deal with the problem of illegal unskilled labor if it wants to show the world that foreigners can work in Japan. ''Illegal workers find work in Japan because Japanese workers are not taking those jobs. They have as much right as skilled foreign labor because they are supporting industries and the Japanese economy as well,'' he says. (Inter Press Service) | |||||||||
