TOKYO - The Japanese government on Monday proposed resuming, from next April, applications under a special visa program for foreign workers providing catering services to medical and nursing care facilities.
The government will consider separating catering services for medical and nursing care facilities from the restaurant-services category and incorporating them into the food-processing category.
Japan's immigration authorities have suspended the issuance of certificates of eligibility to applicants for the Type I Specified Skilled Worker visa in the restaurant industry since April, as the number of visa holders was on course to surpass the quota of 50,000 by March 2029.
According to the Immigration Services Agency, a survey conducted by the health ministry in August found that all surveyed companies providing catering services to medical and nursing care facilities faced labor shortages, raising concerns about nutritional care at hospitals and elder care facilities, especially in rural regions.
The government sets quotas for individual sectors under the Type I visa program, but does not impose a cap on Type II visas intended for those with higher-level technical skills.
The proposal may be finalized by the end of the year.
