Joined: 15 Jun 2004 Posts: 46182 Location: Los Skandolous, California Country:
Posted: Fri Jul 28, 2006 5:10 am Post subject:
this is encouraging given your perspective G-Pjube...but still very preliminary
from the Manila Times, June 1, 2006
Japan considers more foreign workers
TOKYO: Japan should allow in up to twice as many foreign workers to cope with its shrinking population, one of the world�fs most homogenous, but put a ceiling at 3 percent, a government panel recommended.
Foreigners could account for up to three percent of the population of about 127 million under the proposals made this week by a panel headed by Vice Justice Minister Taro Kono.
Tokyo should also consider accepting workers with as yet undefined �gmidlevel skills�h while expelling unskilled foreign laborers working illegally, according to the panel�fs report released late Tuesday.
�gJapan should set a target figure of three percent of the total population for foreigners,�h Kono told reporters.
Foreign residents accoun­ted for 1.2 percent of Japan�fs population at the end of 2005, excluding descendants of Koreans who immigrated or were enslaved during Tokyo�fs 1910-1945 occupation of the Korean Peninsula.
�gIt is unlikely than our society will function well in the future with the current number of foreign people considering the aging society and declining birth rate,�h said Chiho Nakai, an official at the justice ministry.
Business lobbies have asked the government to expand the immigration quota to ease a feared labor shortage in the future.
Japan now officially bans the immigration of unskilled labor—except people of Japanese descent.
The panel also proposed abolishing automatic entitlement to a work permit for anyone of Japanese origin, noting many immigrants have problems of assimilation.
Some 266,000 such immigrants, largely from Brazil, currently live in Japan, many of them employed as unskilled workers, according to government figures.
Japan tightened screening for immigrants of Japanese descent in March amid public outrage over the murder of a seven-year-old girl in November in Hiroshima by a Peruvian claiming Japanese heritage.
�gIt was a mistake to have accepted Japanese descendents without preparing policies to support their adaptation to our society,�h Kono said.
The Japanese population fell last year for the first time in peacetime and at current rates is expected to more than halve to 60 million by 2100.
Meanwhile, unemployment is at a seven-year low of 4.1 percent and employers are struggling to find enough skilled workers.
Joined: 15 Jun 2004 Posts: 46182 Location: Los Skandolous, California Country:
Posted: Fri Jul 28, 2006 5:23 am Post subject:
from the OECD - Organization of Economic Cooperation & Development
excerpt from OECD: Economic Survey of Japan 2006: Executive Summary
Strengthening the integration of Japan in the world economy
Japan remains relatively isolated in terms of import penetration, the stock of inward foreign direct investment (FDI) and the inflow of foreign workers. Making fuller use of foreign goods and services, FDI and foreign workers is important to boost productivity growth, as well as to cope with labour shortages in some sectors. Achieving this objective requires reducing barriers to FDI and imports, particularly in agriculture, and relaxing controls on inflows of foreign workers.
Joined: 15 Jun 2004 Posts: 46182 Location: Los Skandolous, California Country:
Posted: Fri Jul 28, 2006 5:31 am Post subject:
an article that shows the reticent caution of the japanese with regard to
immigration even when it concerns those of Japanese descendence
G-Pjube unlike the article i previously posted this one is demonstrative of my argument in the other thread...
tryin' to include all relevant pieces i find
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20060719a2.html
Stricter visa rules eyed for foreigners of Japanese descent
By AKEMI NAKAMURA
Staff writer
The ruling Liberal Democratic Party's special committee on foreign workers proposed Tuesday that the government set stricter regulations for foreign nationals of Japanese descent when they renew their visas.
Holders of the Japanese ancestry visa can renew the three-year permits almost unconditionally. But under the new proposals, foreigners with Japanese blood would have to have regular jobs, speak Japanese and prove they are paying into social security.
The committee also urged the government to provide more chances for the children of foreigners to learn Japanese in public schools.
"Our proposals are aimed at addressing problems regarding foreign workers that have surfaced," including the education of foreign children, said Yoshio Kimura, the Lower House lawmaker heading the panel. "It's important to take measures to better integrate foreigners into society."
There are about 230,000 foreigners of Japanese descent in Japan, but many of them do not have social insurance and their children sometimes drop out of school because of the language barrier.
Language ability, school attendance and proof of social security should all be checked when Japanese ancestry visas are renewed, the panel said.
To increase foreign participation in social security, the pension system should be reviewed to ensure all premiums paid into the system are refunded when foreigners return to their home countries. At this time, only part of the premiums are refunded.
Compulsory education for foreign children should also be considered, with their mother tongues taught in public schools so the children will have fewer problems after returning to their countries.
Although elementary and secondary education is mandatory for Japanese children, it is not required for foreigners.
As for foreign job trainees, the panel called for extending their period of stay from the present three years to five.
According to the proposal, foreign trainees in the government-backed industrial job training program can re-enter Japan after finishing the three-year program and receive training for another two years, if their employers want to keep them on.
To acquire more skilled workers from various industries, the government should consider creating a new system, the panel said.
Japan grants work visas to foreigners for 27 kinds of specific jobs that require particular qualifications. Only foreign nationals of Japanese descent are permitted to take unskilled jobs.
Joined: 15 Jun 2004 Posts: 46182 Location: Los Skandolous, California Country:
Posted: Fri Jul 28, 2006 7:35 am Post subject:
Japanese economy braces for big challenge
By JOSEPH COLEMAN
June 30, 2006 11:30pm
TSUNEKO -- Hariki is 84 and she looks it. Her fingers are thick and crooked from years of farming. Bent low, she shuffles around her rural home on stiff, bowed legs.
Sweet as her smiling, wizened face is, Ms Hariki poses Japan with perhaps its gravest challenge of the early 21st century: How to keep its economy and society vibrant as its population ages and declines.
In a first among top economies, Japan's population began to fall last year and coming decades will bring legions of people such as Ms Hariki demanding pensions and health care.
Japan will become a global test case in how - or if - a shrinking, ageing society can sustain a top-flight economy.
In her own small way, however, Ms Hariki's case also points to the glimmer of a solution.
Healthy and active - Japanese women lead the longest lives in the world - she does not spend the hours alone watching TV. Ms Hariki does what she has always done: She works. Every day, she gets up and turns on a computer provided by her town, Kamikatsu.
She closely checks the day's market prices for her products - cherry blossoms, nandina leaves, Japanese maple - grown on her family's property on the island of Shikoku, southwest of the capital, Tokyo.
Japan has a surging number of seniors to keep busy these days.
The Government announced yesterday the proportion of Japanese aged 65 or older reached 21 per cent of the country's population in 2005, surpassing Italy's 20 per cent as the world's highest. The elderly accounted for 26.82 million of Japan's total population of 127.76 million, up 21.9 per cent from 2000.
One reason for all the old people: Japanese women had a life expectancy of 85.6 years in 2005, the world's highest for the 20th straight year. Japanese men live an average of 78.6 years.
Another reason: The fertility rate is hitting rock-bottom - 1.25 children per woman, far below the 2.1 needed to keep the population steady.
Those trends converged last year, when Japan silently marked a demographic watershed: The population started to drop, beginning a decline demographers predict will cut the number of Japanese to about 100 million by 2050. Three of every 10 will be more than 65.
The eventual effects on the world's second largest economy - labor shortages, skyrocketing health costs, slumping production - are weighing heavily on policymakers' minds.
The Government has moved to trim health and pension benefits and provide more nursing care. It is tinkering with immigration controls to let in more foreign elderly-care workers. The focus is on having more babies. "The rapid decline of the birthrate is a major problem that may shake the foundations of our society and economy," said Minister Kuniko Inoguchi. "It is a battle against time."
As a quicker fix, some Japanese advocate immigration. That is a complicated question in Japan, which was closed to outsiders for two centuries until the mid-1800s and still largely associates foreigners with crime and disorder.
Japan at a glance:
* SHRINKING POPULATION: The country's population dropped for the first time on record last year, declining by 8340 from December, 2004, to November, 2005. The present population of 127.76 million is expected to fall to 100 million by 2050.
* THE ELDERLY: The number of Japanese 65 or older hit a record high of 26.82 million in 2005, or 21 per cent of the country's population. That ratio is forecast to increase to one in three by 2050.
* NO BABIES: The average number of babies per woman fell to 1.25 in 2005, among the world's lowest and far from the 2.1 needed to keep the population steady.
* EFFECTS: The growing elderly population will strain health and pension systems, while the slumping numbers of workers and taxpayers threaten to sap economic growth and cut care for seniors.
* SOLUTIONS: The Government is trimming health and pension benefits, considering importing foreign workers and pushing measures, such as expanded day care, to encourage women to have more children.
Joined: 15 Jun 2004 Posts: 46182 Location: Los Skandolous, California Country:
Posted: Fri Jul 28, 2006 8:57 am Post subject:
Below is a basic introduction of the Japanese immigration system. Please contact your closest Japanese embassy or consulate to make sure that you have all the required documents before entering Japan.
Temporary visitors (tourists)
If you are a citizen of one of the over 50 countries, with which Japan has concluded a "general visa exemption arrangement", you need only a valid passport in order to enter Japan as a "temporary visitor", otherwise, you need to apply for a visa before coming to Japan. Temporary visitors from most countries are allowed to stay in Japan for up to 90 days.
If you are a citizens of Austria, Germany, Ireland, Liechtenstein, Mexico, Switzerland or the United Kingdom, you have the possibility to extend your stay in Japan to a total of up to six months. You still initially enter Japan for 90 days, but can then apply for an extension at an immigration office in Japan.
Temporary visitors are not allowed to engage in any paid activities. Short term studies at Japanese language schools are permitted.
Travelers, who change airplanes or ships in Japan, may be eligible for a transit visa, which allows them to enter Japan for up to 15 days for sightseeing purposes, before proceeding to their final destination outside of Japan.
All foreign tourists in Japan are required to carry their passports with them at all times.
Working visa
Foreigners, who wish to work in Japan, need to apply for an appropriate visa. There are about a dozen types of working visas, each allowing the holder to engage in paid activities only within a defined professional field. For example, there are visas for artists, professors, engineers, instructors and entertainers.
If you change jobs while you are in Japan, you also need to change your status of residence, provided that the new job falls into a different professional field. Most working visas are valid for one or three years and need to be extended before they expire. A prospective employer is needed as sponsor when applying for most types of working visa.
Student visa
Foreigners, who wish to study in Japan (except for short term studies at language schools), need to apply for a student visa. There are a few types of student visas depending on the type of studies. An educational institution is needed as sponsor when applying for a student visa.
Student visa holders are not allowed to engage in any paid activities, unless they get the permission of the school and the immigration office. Even then, students may work only a set maximum number of hours per week.
Working Holiday visa
This is a special visa for citizens of Australia, New Zealand, Canada, South Korea, France, Germany and the United Kingdom between age 18 and 30. Visit the working holiday visa page for more details.
Spouse visa
Foreigners, who are married to a Japanese national or permanent resident of Japan (see below), can apply for a spouse visa. Spouse visa holders are allowed to engage in any paid activity. A spouse visa is valid for one or three years and needs to be extended before it expires.
Dependent visa
Foreigners, who are married to a holder of a working visa, can apply for a dependent visa. A dependent visa is valid for between three months and three years and needs to be extended before it expires.
Holders of a dependent visa are not allowed to engage in any paid activities, unless they get the permission of the immigration office. Even then, dependent visa holders may work only a set maximum number of hours per week.
Permanent residence
Foreigners, who have resided in Japan for at least five consecutive years (less if married to a Japanese national) and fulfill a few more vaguely defined conditions, can apply for permanent residence. Permanent residents do not need to worry about extending visas anymore and are allowed to engage in any paid activity.
Alien registration
All foreigners, who stay in Japan for more than 90 days, need to apply for an alien registration card within the first 90 days of their stay. Applications can be made at the local municipal office (e.g. city hall). The alien registration card is an important document required for opening a bank account and similar activities. Foreign residents are required to carry their alien registration card with them at all times.
Re-entry permit
Holders of working, student and spouse visas, as well as permanent residents need a re-entry permit in order to keep their status of residence when returning to Japan after a temporary absence from Japan. Without re-entry permit, a person who leaves Japan, will lose his/her status of residence. Re-entry permits for either single or multiple use can be obtained at immigration offices (and some airports in case of emergencies).
Naturalization
Foreigners, who have resided in Japan for at least five consecutive years (less if married to a Japanese national) and fulfill a range of other vaguely defined conditions, can apply for Japanese citizenship. Japan does not allow multiple citizenship, which means that new citizens need to renounce their previous citizenship(s).
Joined: 31 Dec 2005 Posts: 1348 Location: Look Behind you...
Posted: Fri Jul 28, 2006 12:41 pm Post subject:
Tu_triky wrote:
Japanese economy braces for big challenge
By JOSEPH COLEMAN
June 30, 2006 11:30pm
TSUNEKO -- Hariki is 84 and she looks it. Her fingers are thick and crooked from years of farming. Bent low, she shuffles around her rural home on stiff, bowed legs.
Sweet as her smiling, wizened face is, Ms Hariki poses Japan with perhaps its gravest challenge of the early 21st century: How to keep its economy and society vibrant as its population ages and declines.
In a first among top economies, Japan's population began to fall last year and coming decades will bring legions of people such as Ms Hariki demanding pensions and health care.
Japan will become a global test case in how - or if - a shrinking, ageing society can sustain a top-flight economy.
In her own small way, however, Ms Hariki's case also points to the glimmer of a solution.
Healthy and active - Japanese women lead the longest lives in the world - she does not spend the hours alone watching TV. Ms Hariki does what she has always done: She works. Every day, she gets up and turns on a computer provided by her town, Kamikatsu.
She closely checks the day's market prices for her products - cherry blossoms, nandina leaves, Japanese maple - grown on her family's property on the island of Shikoku, southwest of the capital, Tokyo.
Japan has a surging number of seniors to keep busy these days.
The Government announced yesterday the proportion of Japanese aged 65 or older reached 21 per cent of the country's population in 2005, surpassing Italy's 20 per cent as the world's highest. The elderly accounted for 26.82 million of Japan's total population of 127.76 million, up 21.9 per cent from 2000.
One reason for all the old people: Japanese women had a life expectancy of 85.6 years in 2005, the world's highest for the 20th straight year. Japanese men live an average of 78.6 years.
Another reason: The fertility rate is hitting rock-bottom - 1.25 children per woman, far below the 2.1 needed to keep the population steady.
Those trends converged last year, when Japan silently marked a demographic watershed: The population started to drop, beginning a decline demographers predict will cut the number of Japanese to about 100 million by 2050. Three of every 10 will be more than 65.
The eventual effects on the world's second largest economy - labor shortages, skyrocketing health costs, slumping production - are weighing heavily on policymakers' minds.
The Government has moved to trim health and pension benefits and provide more nursing care. It is tinkering with immigration controls to let in more foreign elderly-care workers. The focus is on having more babies. "The rapid decline of the birthrate is a major problem that may shake the foundations of our society and economy," said Minister Kuniko Inoguchi. "It is a battle against time."
As a quicker fix, some Japanese advocate immigration. That is a complicated question in Japan, which was closed to outsiders for two centuries until the mid-1800s and still largely associates foreigners with crime and disorder.
Japan at a glance:
* SHRINKING POPULATION: The country's population dropped for the first time on record last year, declining by 8340 from December, 2004, to November, 2005. The present population of 127.76 million is expected to fall to 100 million by 2050.
* THE ELDERLY: The number of Japanese 65 or older hit a record high of 26.82 million in 2005, or 21 per cent of the country's population. That ratio is forecast to increase to one in three by 2050.
* NO BABIES: The average number of babies per woman fell to 1.25 in 2005, among the world's lowest and far from the 2.1 needed to keep the population steady.
* EFFECTS: The growing elderly population will strain health and pension systems, while the slumping numbers of workers and taxpayers threaten to sap economic growth and cut care for seniors.
* SOLUTIONS: The Government is trimming health and pension benefits, considering importing foreign workers and pushing measures, such as expanded day care, to encourage women to have more children.
I'd gladly volunteer to help with their population problem.
Joined: 07 Oct 2005 Posts: 9573 Location: �o�J�i�_ Country:
Posted: Sat Jul 29, 2006 1:11 am Post subject:
wtf
Tu_triky wrote:
...
Japan considers more foreign workers
TOKYO: Japan should allow in up to twice as many foreign workers to cope with its shrinking population, one of the world�fs most homogenous, but put a ceiling at 3 percent, a government panel recommended. ....
That's nice. I could publish my book title: Japan, I love f**k. _________________
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