Japan to Allow More Skilled Foreign Workers to Reside Amid Labor Shortage

Office workers are reflected in a glass railing as they cross a street during lunch hour in Tokyo, Japan, on June 1, 2015. Thomas Peter/Reuters

Japan’s cabinet approved Friday a plan to increase the number of industries that can offer a long-term work visa for skilled foreign workers in a move to tackle the country’s acute labor shortage.

During a meeting, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida emphasized the need for Japan to promote the smooth acceptance of foreign workers in order to address “the severe labor shortage,” Kyodo News reported.