Japan: Foreign Farm Labor's Role Growing in Japan
Link to report:
As Japan’s agricultural workforce continues a decades-long decline, farm owners are increasingly looking for alternative sources of labor, including from abroad. In the past 10 years, the percentage of foreign farm workers as a share of the total agricultural population has increased fourfold from 0.5 percent to two percent. Most of these workers gain employment through the Technical Intern Training Program which is limited to five years. A separate visa program was recently made available, but high barriers to entry have limited participation. Although foreign workers still account for a relatively small share of the total agricultural workforce, Japan’s increasing dependence on these workers was revealed when many were unable to enter the country due to COVID-19 travel restrictions.
Japan: Foreign Farm Labor's Role Growing in Japan
