No. of foreign workers in Japan hits 1.28 mil

Love that Japan doesn't allow unskilled labor in to avoid discussions on immigration but students/interns fill the unskilled labor positions.

Japan: Form over substance.

All those educated Japanese women that are filling these unskilled positions is the greatest harm to Japan future.

1.3 million foreign worker is a massive 2 % of the skill labour which these women can fill if given equality.

This is a total waste of a economic and social resource.

@ tom jones, spot on. plus thanks for the term "form over substance" nail on the head mate.

It is interesting that Chinese make up the largest number at  372,263.So much for a rising China.

Further, Japan uses foreign labor like shock absorbers. When the economy is booming which it is doing now Japan imports labor. When the economy goes into a downturn, the foreigners are sent home. It is good policy.

Japan: Contemplation before action.

Germany and the West: Contemplation? What does that mean?

just wait and see how many don't go home after the olympics.

372,000 Chinese working in Japan in no way negates the rise of China.

Japan using foreign labor like shock absorbers insofar as the foreigners are sent home first in a downturn is not good policy. Good policy would be to retain the most skilled workers, irrespective of citizenship.

Contemplation before action is a good thing. Trying to disguise rampant xenophobia as contemplation is repugnant.

Kobe: Thanks. Chalk it up to logic, eh.

These stats just illustrate how far along the decline is becoming, the number of new borns here is plummeting, this labour issue is going to get much much worse & sooner than the ldp thinks imo.

Just make sure nobody overstays their visa.

Tommy JonesToday 07:17 am JST

Love that Japan doesn't allow unskilled labor in to avoid discussions on immigration but students/interns fill the unskilled labor positions.

Japan: Form over substance.

Acutally not quite so simple Tommy boy. The students interns are used as they have a vested interest in not rocking the boat, demanding rights etc, lest they be booted out. Past experiments with unskilled labor were a disaster. The best example is the 100,000 or so Iranians in early 90s. They were only supposed to be temporary on a visa waiver to do the 3k jobs, but decided they liked it and started to establish roots. Things got so out of hand that these "immigrants" set up markets in Yoyogi and got involved in all kinds of hanky panky. It took authorities years to root them out and deport. A few stragglers could always be seen hanging around Ueno station, even years later.

Automation of jobs and AI is much better solution to the labour shortage than millions of unskilled low paid workers. Lots of jobs don't make any sense at all and can be easily replaced by automation, so people don't waste their time doing mundane work and involve in more creative activities instead. Shop clerks, drivers, accountants and many others - they will all be gone in the coming decades. All industrialized nations are going to enter the era of post-industrial and information society quite soon, and those who refuse to do it, will be left behind.

Acutally not quite so simple Tommy boy. The students interns are used as they have a vested interest in not rocking the boat, demanding rights etc, lest they be booted out

So, it is as simple as form over substance. Allow in interns/students and allow them to do unskilled work. The form being there is no unskilled labor immigration, and the substance is there is unskilled labor immigration under the guise of interns/students.

Immigrant population (Foreign workers and their family) by countries.

US 46.6 Mil

UK 8.5 Mil

Canada 7.8 Mil

Hong Kong 2.8 Mil

Singapore 2.5 Mil

China 0.9 Mil

South Korea 1.3 Mil

Japan 2.1 Mil (Approx.2% of population. Not bad as it sounds)

Japanese will not be anymore able to push back an immigrant wave of the size it is accepting now.

Japan will have its cultural habits change for the good ...and worse.

What have Nepalese in common with Japanese?

I know personally foreign who take what is good for them from Japan but have said they are not going either to learn Japanese or adapt their behaviour to the same level of Japanese.

Not my problem...

For the sane of financial greed over real needs, ie skilled and adapting foreign persons.

@John-San .. I am a white American.. I work at Mitsubishi Aircraft as a Engineer.. and I work with a lot of Female woman.. all jobs are different! There are plenty of skilled women in Japan who work!

@Chris: You are right. Corporations recruit women'. universities, Business that need unskilled laborers do not recruit at women's universities. A majority of women attending universities are from upper class income families and they major subjects they. want. to use at future occupation. There were female inventors in a company ad scientists, Also. some of them. Inherits family owed corporations.