Jeffrey J. Hall 🇯🇵🇺🇸

@mrjeffu · Twitter · 2026-04-13 12:52 UTC

The Japanese government has suspended new admissions for the “Specified Skilled Worker” visa status for foreign workers in the restaurant industry. This is going to have a major negative impact on restaurants in Japan, which have long been suffering from labor shortages. Isomaru Suisan, an izakaya chain that often operates 24 hours a day, has relied heavily on this visa status - about 40% of its employees are foreign. The new changes will leave it short-staffed and likely require many restaurants to cut their hours of operation. Across the industry, service could get slower and some restaurants won't stay open late anymore. Many foreign students had come to Japan to study at Japanese language schools and learn the customs and skills of the restaurant service industry, but they won't be able to work in that sector because the government says it has hit the industry cap of 50,000 visas. Students on this path that want to remain in Japan will have to switch to other "Specified Skilled Worker" jobs such nursing care, food and beverage manufacturing, or lodging/hospitality.