Japan and the Philippines:

Year 1 of the Specified Skilled Worker System

In April of 2019, Japan introduced a new visa status, the Specified Skilled Worker, intended to encourage foreign laborers to boost Japan’s dwindling workforce. In theory, the system appears to be a fine proposal both for young Filipinos eager to send money home, and Japanese industries hoping for new workers. In practice, however, bureaucratic complications between the two nations mean that making use of the system isn’t as easy as it should be.