[/floatr]Japan Times: Foreign permanent residents on rise, filling gaps
Japan's population started declining in 2005, but in contrast, registered foreigners soared to a record high 2.01 million, a leap from 1.36 million a decade ago and accounting for 1.57 percent of the nation's total population...The most notable demographic trend, though, is the rise in permanent residents. This status is generally conferred on foreigners who have "contributed to Japan" for at least five to 10 years. While the number is up for most nationalities, Chinese top the list again. More than 106,000 registered as permanent residents last year, nearly twice the figure of five years ago. The 1998 deregulation of permanent residency criteria helped expedite the rise, the Justice Ministry said...Eika Ma, 41, from Dalian, China, came to Japan in 1988 as an exchange student to study Japanese, and acquired permanent residency in 2004..."Japanese were very closed to foreigners, especially Asians...It's really time for Japan to introduce more foreigners with skills to support this country"...more...
