System reform from “Technical Intern Training” to “Employment for Skill Development” (to be implemented in 2027)

Background of Employment for Skill Development System

Before going into the Employment for Development System, there is a visa called “Specified Skilled Worker”.

This visa is for foreigners who can immediately contribute to specific industrial fields such as construction, agriculture, and automobile maintenance. Therefore, a certain level of knowledge is required, and in principle, passing a skills test is one of the requirements for obtaining the type of visa.

On the other hand, there is a system called Technical Intern Training for foreigners who don’t have any knowledge yet, but wish to learn.

This system aims to convey Japanese skills to foreigners and contribute to the economic development of developing regions, so there is no requirement regarding original knowledge. In addition, it is possible to progress from Technical Intern Training to Specified Skilled Worker, and if you successfully complete Technical Intern Training No. 2, you will be exempt from the test for Specified Skilled Worker and Japanese language test.

However, this Technical Intern Training System has deviated from its original purpose and there have been frequent incidents that are problematic from a human rights perspective, such as being misused as cheap labor and harassment. For these reasons, the Technical Intern Training System will be abolished in 2027, and the Employment for Skill Development will be introduced instead (based on a Cabinet decision in 2024).

Overview of the Employment for Skill Development Program

First, let’s take a look at what requirements there are to obtain a visa of Employment for Skill Development, what the obligations of the receiving organization are, etc.

Requirements, etc. for the foreigners’ side

As shown below, no skills are required at the start of employment, and the required Japanese language proficiency is not high, equivalent to the Japanese Language Education Framework of Reference (CEFR) A1 level (equivalent to 1st to 3rd grade of elementary school, N5 level on the Japanese Language Proficiency Test).

On the other hand, at the end of the 3-year residence period of Employment for Skill Development, both skills and Japanese language proficiency are required to be at a certain level.

Requirements, etc. for the employers’ side

In order to improve points of reflection such as the prevalence of harassment in Technical Intern Training, and to create a career advancement system that is attractive to foreigners, the employers’ side is required to ensure remuneration, create and implement a work plan, improve living conditions, etc.

Differences of systems between Employment for Skill Development and Specified Skilled Worker

So far, we have looked at the overview of the system of Employment for Skill Development, but how has it changed from the Technical Intern Training? How have improvements been made based on the lessons learned from the Technical Intern Training System?

Purpose of the system

First, the purpose of the Technical Intern Training was to develop human resources to transfer Japanese technology for the development of their home countries. However, in the actual fields, there was a serious labor shortage, and there were frequent cases of interns being misused as labor without proper training.

Therefore, the purpose of the Employment for Skill Development System was set as ① human resource development and ② human resource securing, which is in line with the reality of the labor shortage, that is, to develop and secure human resources.

Specifically,

① Human resource development: Development of human resources with the level of Specified Skilled Worker No. 1 (skills requiring a considerable degree of knowledge or experience)

② Securing human resources: Securing human resources in specific industrial fields where it is appropriate to have them acquire skills through three years of employment (period of residence is generally three years). (Fields that require licenses or qualifications under Japanese law are not included.)

Transfer

Another big difference is that transfers from the company to which you belong are possible.

In the Technical Intern Training System, the purpose of residence is not “employment” but rather “training,” so the concept of changing jobs or transferring did not exist in the first place.

To transfer, in principle, you must transfer to another company due to the convenience of the company to which you belong, or you can only “change jobs” at the time of transition from Technical Intern Training No. 2 to No. 3. In addition, transfers are only permitted in cases of imminent circumstances such as human rights violations.

As a result, even if a foreign trainee does not get along with his or her company and wants to transfer, he or she cannot transfer in principle, so many trainees have run away, and illegal residents such as overstayers have become a major social problem.

(For more information on Technical Intern Training, please see this article. https://immigration-lawyer.co.jp/visa/skill/)

In contrast, under the training employment system, transfers are allowed more leniently in order to prevent such illegal fugitives.

However, from the perspective of human resource development, it is considered effective to continue working under the same training employment implementer, so transfers are not completely free. Transfers are permitted only in the following cases.

• When there are “unavoidable circumstances” such as human rights violations including power harassment or violence.
• When the person wishes to transfer and meets the requirements including the following.

(1) The work to be performed under the training employment implementer at the transfer destination is within the same work category as the previous work.

(2)The period of work performed under the training employment implementer from which the person was transferred exceeds the specified period set forth for each training employment industry, which is within the range of one year to two years.

(3) The skills and Japanese language proficiency of the foreigner are at a certain level or above.

(4) The training employment implementer at the transfer destination meets certain requirements deemed appropriate.

Reference:

Development and Employment System/Specified Skilled Worker System Q&A: https://www.moj.go.jp/isa/applications/faq/ikusei_qa_00002.html

Cabinet decision of March 11, 2025: https://www.moj.go.jp/isa/content/001434808.pdf

In addition, the following provisions have been established to ensure smooth transfers.

-Training employment implementers must not unduly restrict transfers or fire employees for making transfer requests.

-Transfer support will be primarily provided by the supervision support organization.

-The Organization for Foreign Training Employment and Hello Work will also work together to provide support such as collecting and providing information on transfer destinations.

Period of stay

In the case of Technical Intern Training, if you move from No. 1 to No. 3, your total period of stay is a maximum of 5 years. If you then progress to a Specified Skilled Worker, you can stay for another 5 years.

In contrast, the maximum period of stay for Employment for Skill Development is 3 years (with the exception of 1 year extension).

In principle, foreigners under the system of Employment for Skill Development are required to acquire Japanese language and expertise and reach the level of Specified Skilled Woker No. 1 during these 3 years, so it is possible to develop human resources in a shorter period of time than Technical Intern Training.

Target fields of acceptance

In the Technical Intern Training, 91 occupations and 168 tasks (as of March 7, 2025), such as agriculture and construction, are covered.

On the other hand, the Employment for Skill Development System has the role of developing human resources as a preliminary step to the Specified Skilled Worker, so its target fields overlap with the target fields of the Specified Skilled Worker (16 specific industrial fields). However, not all 16 fields are covered, but rather it is limited to fields that can be learned within three years (to be decided by the enforcement date).

The 16 specific industrial fields are as follows. The target fields for Employment for Skill Development will be limited from here.

• Due to the purpose of the Employment for Skill Development, which is to develop human resources, it is not permitted to work across multiple fields.

(For specific industrial fields, please refer to this blog

https://immigration-lawyer.co.jp/column/%E7%89%B9%E5%AE%9A%E6%8A%80%E8%83%BD%E8%BF%BD%E5%8A%A0%E8%81%B7%E7%A8%AE/)

Summary

As we have seen, the purpose of the Employment for Skill Development is to develop and secure human resources, so foreigners are not required to have skills when starting to work. There are also no educational requirements, neither. Therefore, it’s worth considering for those who wish to acquire skills in Japan through OJT.

However, even if you are interested, some foreigners may be worried about whether they will meet the requirements or whether problems will arise like with Technical Intern Training. This is a new system that will start in 2027, and there are many unknowns without a long history of precedents. If you are a foreigner interested in obtaining a visa or a company interested in accepting foreigners, please feel free to contact us.

Reference:

Outline of the basic policy on the operation of the system related to the Specified Skilled Worker System and the Employment for Skill Development System

https://www.moj.go.jp/isa/content/001434970.pdf

Basic policy on the operation of the system related to the status of residence of Specified Skilled Worker and basic policy on the proper implementation of Employment for Skill Development and protection of foreigners working in Employment for Skill Development

https://www.moj.go.jp/isa/content/001434808.pdf

Q&A on the Employment for Skill Development System and Specified Skilled Worker System

https://www.moj.go.jp/isa/applications/faq/ikusei_qa_00002.html

Main opinions of the expert meeting on the basic policy on the Specified Skilled Worker System and Employment for Skill Development System

https://www.kantei.go.jp/jp/si

We are Yanagi group, which have offices in Osaka (Abeno and Tennoji), and our affiliated offices in Tokyo (Shibuya and Ebisu) are also available for an on-site consultation. We have handled many applications for permanent residence permits, naturalization permits, work visas, college student visas, management visas, etc., as well as visa renewal procedures related to the status of residence with the Immigration Bureau (Immigration Bureau) as a one-stop service. Our experienced administrative scriveners are also available to help you with any problems you may have.

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