Japan’s Nikkei reported on February 20 that 66 percent of the “high-end foreign talent” in Japan comes from China, far ahead of India and South Korea. According to the report, “high-end foreign talent” refers to foreigners who possess professional knowledge and skills and work in Japanese companies and research institutions. Japan’s Immigration Services Agency defines them as “human resources who are to bring innovation to Japanese industry and improve labor market efficiency.” Since 2012, the Japanese government has been making efforts to attract foreign talent by creating a new immigration category of “Highly Specialized Jobs (High-end Professional Jobs).” As of the end of June 2022, 17,199 high-end foreign professionals fell into this category, accounting for 0.6 percent of the total number of foreign residents in Japan. In terms of nationality, as of the end of 2021, 66 percent of “Highly Specialized Job” workers were from China, far ahead of India (6 percent) and Korea (4 percent).
On February 17, the Japanese government finalized a new policy for attracting talent by establishing a new “Special High-End Talent System” in which foreign technicians with an annual income of 20 million yen (USD$149,000 ) or more can apply for permanent residency after staying in Japan for one year. At the same time, the Japanese government will also allow graduates from the world’s top-ranked universities to stay in Japan for up to two years for job hunting activities.
Source: Sputnik News, February 21, 2023.
https://sputniknews.cn/20230221/1048098903.html