Foreign workers in Japan triple in decade

The number of foreign workers in Japan tripled over a decade, reaching a record high of 1.46 million as of October 2018, official statistics showed on Friday.

According to data released by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, the number of foreign workers reached 1,460,463 in Japan as of October, up 14.2 percent compared to a year earlier.

The figure, the highest since the data became available in 2008, marked the 11th straight year of increase.

The number of Chinese workers amounted to 389,117, accounting for over one fourth of the total foreign workforce, up 4.5 percent from the previous year, followed by Vietnamese and Filipinos.

By sector, manufacturing hired the largest number of foreign labor, followed by retailing, and hotels and catering.

To address labor shortage, the Japanese government is expected to accept up to 345,150 foreign workers under a new scheme over a five-year period starting April 2019, including 60,000 in nursing care.