The number of foreign workers in Japan has more than doubled since 2000 to nearly 1.3 million last year, out of a working-age population of 67 million. Almost all convenience stores are partly staffed by Asian workers and so are many restaurant chains. The fastest growing group of foreign workers is Vietnamese, many of whom are employed in construction and nursing. Industry groups have urged the government to expand the work visa program so they can legally hire more foreign workers. “This is the first time people started to discuss the issue of foreign workers,” Menju said.

Source: National Post December 07, 2018 09:00 UTC