[Akakage]

I will be going to Japan in October to live and work for a year, and I have been looking for as much information as possible on Japan and daily life so I can handle the culture shock.

I came across this article that talks about the change in the immigration laws that will coming in the future for Japan. It's good information for any who are planning on coming here in the future.

How Immigration Policy is Trying to Change With the Times

At the beginning of this year the Japanese government announced certain changes it is hoping to introduce to the immigration system in early 2009. One of these changes is the introduction of a language component to the visa application process.

Currently, skilled workers applying for a working visa in Japan do not need to demonstrate any knowledge of Japanese language. The proposed changes could see an element of language testing introduced that would enable someone who was applying for an extension of their visa to be granted one for five years (under current regulations the maximum length of stay is three years). The government stressed that any language tests would not be compulsory to acquiring a visa and that the usual routes for people with no language skills would still be open. The changes are intended to increase opportunities for long-term stay for people who, without the changes and under the present conditions, may find it difficult to do so.

Unsurprisingly, the announcements received mixed reviews from all sectors of society. Some foreign workers make a great deal of effort to acclimatise to Japan and its culture including studying and becoming proficient in Japanese. These people welcomed the announcement, as they felt it acknowledged their efforts and rewarded them for it. Others were slightly more cynical, believing that the changes would act as a barrier to entry. This, in turn, would make other countries where no such testing exists, such as Hong Kong and Singapore, more attractive destinations. Mr. Masahiko Komura, State Secretary for Foreign Affairs of Japan, insisted that from the government’s view, the modifications are an attempt to deregulate the current system and open it up more. A look at the wider picture reveals that there may be more than one benefit to these proposals.

While Japan is not the only country facing the difficult issues that an ageing population brings, the demographic shift currently occurring is happening so quickly that issues related to it, such as gender roles, social support, work-life balance, and immigration are suddenly being forced on to centre stage. Prevailing conditions and attitudes within society mean that changes to the status quo are often felt quite acutely, making any implementation a monumental task.

Traditionally homogeneous, the question of immigration into Japan is probably still one of the most sensitive. The government conducted a survey last year in several areas of Japan where the local population is struggling to cope with a high percentage of foreign workers. More than 50% of the foreign respondents surveyed indicated that they would welcome more interaction with local Japanese people, while less than 10% of the Japanese respondents reciprocated the same desire. In view of this, the changes suggested by the government could be seen as a way to appease the local population to what is likely going to be a large influx of foreigners into the country in the next few years. (To give an idea of the potential numbers involved, to maintain population levels at 2006 figures would require an additional 650,000 people to move here annually.) While immigration is unlikely to occur at this intensity, as more companies cite their need to employ people from overseas, the demand-driven influx of foreign workers is unlikely to pass by unnoticed. If the government can assure residents that they are doing everything they can to make this a smooth process then they may also hope that there will be less resistance to it.

So how could encouraging foreign workers to learn Japanese help? Experience is showing that assimilation of large groups of foreigners, especially in the more rural areas where jobs tend to be, is not always easy or smooth. A government official from one such area speaks of a “constant, low-level tension” that includes differences of opinion over matters such as parking spaces, noise, and rubbish. Encouraging people to speak Japanese could be a way to introduce them to the culture while making them more sensitive to community expectations, although there is no guarantee that one will necessarily lead to the other. Britain, which recently added a language component to their visa requirements, simultaneously introduced a “citizenship test.” This simple test requires people who want to live and work in the UK to show that they have some understanding of how society operates. Something similar in Japan may help to alleviate some of these more localized problems, as it will ensure that newcomers gain an insight into how their community functions on a daily basis and what part they are able and expected to play in it. It would be a way to “sensitize” them to life in Japan. With this in mind, it would probably be more appropriate to introduce such a test in the initial stages of somebody’s stay and certainly no later than one year after their arrival.

Another hope that the government may have in trying to stimulate interest in learning Japanese is the growth of the Japanese language industry overseas. This would have the added benefit of introducing Japan to large numbers of people who may never have considered it previously. If someone can speak the language, it stands to reason that they are more likely to want to visit. In the case of young people, it could further their interest and induce them to move here for work.

There is no one easy answer and for every solution proposed, a dozen more problems are unearthed. Recognizing where potential lies must be key to government policy and one angle that cannot be overlooked must surely be the encouragement of people from other countries to not only come to Japan for work but to put down roots and make a real, positive, and long-lasting contribution to society in general. With ever-greater stress being put on Japan to open up, issues of protectionism and security are necessarily brought to the table. Officials do at least seem to be moving some way towards deregulating the immigration system, but these latest announcements suggest that they are not intending to make any sudden changes very soon.