Foreign workers - gaikokujinroudosha

A person who works outside of his/her own country. They are also called migrant workers or immigrant workers. Foreign workers are broadly divided into legal workers and illegal workers. Legal workers are people who have obtained a work visa (status of residence) that indicates the status and scope of work required when entering the country. Legal workers in Japan are classified into five categories: "status-based status of residence" such as permanent residents and spouses of Japanese nationals, "professional/technical fields" such as university professors and doctors, "technical internship" for the purpose of technical cooperation with developing countries, "designated activities" such as diplomatic cooks, and "unlicensed activities" for international students who do part-time work as long as it does not interfere with their studies. If you have a "status-based status of residence," you can work in any industry and receive remuneration. In general, the scope of work for "professional/technical fields," "technical internship," and "designated activities" is limited. Illegal workers include illegal immigrants and others who work outside the scope of their status of residence. The Japanese government explains that there is no residence status for unskilled labor, but the reality is that there are many foreigners engaged in unskilled labor with qualifications such as technical intern training or study abroad. The number of legal workers in Japan (as of the end of October 2018) is approximately 1.46 million, and the Ministry of Justice has confirmed that there are approximately 66,500 illegal workers (as of January 1, 2018). The Japanese government has created a new residence status called "Specified Skilled Worker" and plans to accept an additional 340,000 legal workers over the next five years from 2019.

Factors that lead to the creation of foreign workers include economic disparities between countries and regions, uneven distribution of population growth and decline in areas, and a tendency in high-income countries to avoid simple and dangerous labor. Foreign workers have the advantage of making up for labor shortages, reducing labor costs through low wages, and improving productivity by accepting foreigners with specialized knowledge and skills (highly skilled human resources). On the other hand, accepting foreign workers can lead to problems such as a deterioration in public safety, the emergence of illegal low-wage labor, and cultural friction due to differences in language and customs, as well as the need for social security and education measures for foreign workers' families. For this reason, after World War II, Japan enacted the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act (Cabinet Order No. 319 of 1951, abbreviated as the Immigration Control Act or Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act), which limited the employment of foreigners to those who focused on specialized and technical abilities or the unique abilities of foreigners, and strictly prohibited them from engaging in simple labor.

However, in recent years, the door to employment for foreigners has been gradually opened to deal with the labor shortage caused by the progress of globalization, the bubble economy, and the declining population of Japan. In the 1989 (Heisei 1) amendment, the acceptance was expanded by adding medical, educational, and legal fields to the status of residence, and Japanese descendants from Brazil and other countries were allowed to engage in unskilled labor. In the 2009 (Heisei 21) amendment, the alien registration system was abolished and the issuance of residence cards to foreigners was started. In the 2012 (Heisei 21) amendment, a points system for highly skilled professionals was introduced for highly skilled professionals, and preferential treatment was established, such as granting permanent residence to those who obtained a certain number of points based on their educational background and annual income. In the 2018 amendment, it is expected that foreign workers will be accepted as "Specified Skills 1" in 14 industries, including agriculture, fishing, construction, shipbuilding and marine industry, nursing care, food and beverage manufacturing, restaurants, and accommodation, and as "Specified Skills 2" in two industries, construction and shipbuilding and marine industry.

[Takeshi Yano June 18, 2019]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

自国以外で就労する人。移住労働者、移民労働者とよばれることもある。外国人労働者は大きく合法就労者と不法就労者とに分けられる。合法就労者とは、入国時に必要な身分や就労範囲を示す就労ビザ（在留資格）を得た人である。日本の合法就労者は、永住者や日本人の配偶者などの「身分に基づく在留資格」、大学教授や医師などの「専門的・技術分野」、途上国への技術協力を目的とした「技能実習」、外交官のコックなどの「特定活動」、留学生が学業の妨げにならない範囲でアルバイトなどを行う「資格外活動」、の五つに分類される。「身分に基づく在留資格」があれば、業種にかかわりなく、報酬を受ける労働につくことができる。一般に「専門的・技術分野」「技能実習」「特定活動」は就労範囲が限られている。不法就労者は、密入国者などの不法入国者のほか、在留資格で定められた範囲以外の仕事につく者が該当する。日本政府は単純労働を対象とした在留資格はないと説明しているが、技能実習や留学などの資格で未熟練労働に従事する外国人が多数存在するのが実態である。日本の合法就労者数（2018年10月末時点）は約146万人で、法務省が確認できた不法就労者が約6万6500人（2018年1月1日時点）いる。日本政府は「特定技能」という在留資格を新設し、2019年から5年間で、さらに約34万人の合法的就労者を受け入れる計画である。

　外国人労働者が生まれる要因として、国・地域間での経済格差、人口増加と減少地域の偏在、高所得国での単純・危険労働の忌避傾向などがあげられる。外国人労働者には、労働力不足を補い、低賃金により労働コストを圧縮できるほか、専門知識・技術をもった外国人（高度人材）の受入れで生産性が向上するといった利点がある。一方、外国人労働者の受入れは、治安の悪化、不法低賃金労働の発生、言語・慣習の違いによる文化摩擦などを招くほか、外国人労働者の家族を含めた社会保障・教育対策が必要になるなどの問題もある。このため第二次世界大戦後の日本は「出入国管理及び難民認定法」（昭和26年政令第319号、略称「入管法」「入管難民法」）で、外国人の就労を専門的・技術的能力や外国人固有の能力に着目した人材登用のみに限定し、単純労働に従事することを厳格に排除してきた。

　しかし近年、グローバル化の進展のほか、バブル景気や日本の人口減少による人手不足に対応するため、外国人に就労の門戸が徐々に開放されている。1989年（平成1）改正で、在留資格に医療、教育、法律などを加えて受入れを拡大し、ブラジルなどの日系人が単純労働に従事することを認めた。2009年（平成21）改正では、外国人登録制度を廃止し外国人への在留カード交付を始めた。2012年改正では、高度専門職を対象に高度人材ポイント制度を導入し、学歴や年収などに応じて一定以上のポイントを取得した者に永住権を認めるなどの優遇措置を設けた。2018年改正では、外国人就労者を「特定技能1号」として農業、漁業、建設業、造船・舶用工業、介護、飲食料品製造、外食、宿泊業など14業種へ、「特定技能2号」として建設業と造船・舶用工業の2業種への受入れを想定している。

［矢野　武　2019年6月18日］

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