More FG Students Staying On In Japan

[Mulboyne]

Yomiuri: Number of foreign students staying on to work in Japan hits record high
The number of foreign students who found jobs in the country surged to a record 8,272 last year, up 40 percent from the previous year, according to the Justice Ministry's Immigration Bureau. The surge is attributable to an improving job market and growing demand for translators and interpreters jobs due to Japanese companies' expansion of overseas operations. The number of applications filed by foreign residents to change their visa status from "College Student" or "Precollege Student" to "Specialist in Humanities/International Services," the visa status required for people wishing to work in certain sectors, totaled 9,034 in 2006, of which 8,272 were granted. The number of applications for such a change in status was 5,878 in 2005 and 5,264 in 2004...Chinese students topped the list with 6,000 people, a 43.3 percent rise from 2005, followed by 944 South Koreans and 200 Taiwan students, also up 26.4 percent and 19 percent year on year, respectively. Bangladesh claimed fourth place with 119 people, a 108.8 percent jump from 2005, while Malaysia took fifth place with 118 people, up 71 percent year on year...more...

[Charles]

..."Specialist in Humanities/International Services"...

[omae mona]

Hey, Charles, as you can see from the photo, those are uniquely Chinese textiles that can only be handled properly by somebody who was born and raised immersed in Chinese culture.

[IkemenTommy]

I thought you needed a visa to even labor in Japan. I guess that excludes the kids slaving at places like gas panic working for minimum wages and poor labor conditions.

[Charles]

Hey, Charles, as you can see from the photo, those are uniquely Chinese textiles that can only be handled properly by somebody who was born and raised immersed in Chinese culture.

Absolutely right. However, the job requires uniquely Japanese training (subsidized by government funding) to adapt the workers' skills to the uniquely Japanese product lines.