Asia Insight (2012)

S9E9 Japan and the Philippines: Specified Skilled Worker System Year One

In April 2019, Japan launched a new visa category called the Specified Skilled Worker, aimed at attracting foreign labor to address the country's shrinking workforce. On paper, this initiative seems beneficial for young Filipinos looking to support their families back home, as well as for Japanese businesses in need of additional manpower. However, the reality is that bureaucratic hurdles between Japan and the Philippines make navigating the system much more challenging than anticipated.