2018: Is Japan’s Foreign Workforce Really Growing Rapidly?

The Asia-Pacific Journal | Japan Focus Volume 16 | Issue 24 | Number 1 | Dec 15, 2018
Mit freundlicher Erlaubnis von Japan Focus


Is Japan’s Foreign Workforce Really Growing Rapidly?
Understanding the Government Statistics Behind the Myth

Mathias Hennings and Scott Mintz

The Japanese mass media has been reporting a based on data published by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. The Ministry’s data, however, is neither derived from a comprehensive database of foreign workers, nor is it a credible source of information about the foreign workforce. This paper explains how the ministry arrives at its figures, why the reported rapid increase over the past decade is incorrect, and pinpoints flaws in its data collection process. Finally, we suggest a new approach for estimating the total number of foreign workers in Japan at a time when the Japanese government has proposed a significant increase in the number of foreign workers.....

Download pdf