Tokyo July 06, 2026 — Japan will introduce a new foreign-worker and vocational-training system in April 2027, opening the door for up to 426,200 overseas workers during its first two years. Thailand has become the first country to sign a bilateral cooperation memorandum with Japan under the upcoming framework, giving Thai workers an early pathway into the programme.
The new system, called Ikusei Shuro, will replace Japan’s long-running Technical Intern Training Programme. It is designed to combine employment with skills development and will cover 17 industries, including agriculture and construction, where Japan continues to face serious labour shortages.
Workers admitted under Ikusei Shuro will be able to work and train in Japan for up to three years. After that period, those who pass the required Japanese-language and professional-skills examinations may move into the Specified Skilled Worker residence category, known in Japan as Tokutei Ginou. This status can provide a route to medium- or longer-term employment in the country.
Japan has set the two-year intake ceiling for the new programme at 426,200 people. Separately, it has allowed for up to 805,700 workers under the existing Specified Skilled Worker system. Combined, the two channels could accommodate as many as 1.23 million foreign workers, a significant figure when compared with Japan’s foreign-resident population of around 4.12 million at the end of 2025.
Tokyo says the bilateral-agreement approach is intended to reduce the influence of exploitative recruitment agencies and bring worker recruitment under clearer government-to-government oversight. Japan plans to negotiate similar agreements with other countries, particularly those that already have cooperation arrangements under the current technical-intern system.