Japan’s Specified Skilled Worker visa holders rise to record numbers

A training program for foreign workers under the Specified Skilled Worker program is held at East Japan Railway's training center in Shirakawa, Fukushima Prefecture, in March. | JIJI

Sep 29, 2026

The number of foreign workers in Japan under the Specified Skilled Worker (SSW) visa has reached a record high of 444,256, according to data released Tuesday, as the country increasingly turns to overseas labor to fill shortages across key industries.

The figure as of the end of June is up 13.8% from 390,296 at the end of December and 108,060 higher than a total of 336,196 a year earlier, according to preliminary Immigration Services Agency (ISA) data.

Growth has remained strong, though the pace has continued to slow on a six-month basis. The 13.8% increase from December compared with gains of 16.1% in the previous six-month period and 18.2% in the six months before that.

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