This study focuses on the employment and living conditions of foreign nationals
engaged in unskilled labour in Japan, with the aim of examining the prospects for the
settlement of labour migrants in Japanese society. Since the establishment of the
‘Specified Skilled Worker’ residence status in 2019, the number of migrant workers has
continued to rise. In 2023, the sectors eligible for Specified Skilled Worker Type 2,
which permits long-term stays and family accompaniment, were expanded. From our
research conducted since 2018, however, we found that in the agricultural sector, the
feasibility of ‘permanent residence’ for unskilled foreign workers was low. Our new
study expands from the agricultural sector to include building cleaning and construction,
to better understand rural/urban differences in the reception of these workers, as well as
to better understand how migrants of different genders are perceived. Through
qualitative research with employers and stakeholders in these three sectors, we aim to
discover whether and how foreign workers engaged in unskilled labour are being
included and integrated into Japanese society.
