Japan to introduce 'points system' to attract foreign experts

Monday 22nd June, 06:00 AM JST

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Latest 15 of 31 Total Comments Show All

thedeath at 01:25 PM JST - 22nd June

people would go to Singapore rather than coming here. or even if they already come here, i wonder how long they can stand the working culture here!
Altria at 01:30 PM JST - 22nd June

They should make them eco points to help the environment!
Gaijinocchio at 01:50 PM JST - 22nd June

Sometimes Japanese rationale really confuses me.

extending the maximum duration of residency permits from three years at present and shortening the period of residency required before securing the right to permanent residency from 10 years in principle.

oh you mean extending it from 3 to 5 years? They're already doing that in conjunction with the new-chip Orwellian-nightmare foreigner cards (Which will inevitably pass). Can you already smell the corruption and double standards with this particular point system in Japan?

Who, with sufficient advanced skills, would choose Japan over, say, their country of origin or Britain (who offers dual citizenship, if I'm not mistaken) and potentially have to suffer unpaid overtime, reikin, and other ridiculous fees and expenses not touched in this "point system"?

How about improving the existing education to produce more native experts, than attempting to brain drain neighboring countries? Dual citizenship? Societal improvements? Is that too much?
PepinGalarga at 02:13 PM JST - 22nd June

you guys and gals are spot on. i sense a lot of bitterness and frustration, but not much has changed in the last few centuries.

The thing about importing 300,000 brazilians to work in the auto industry worked pretty well for them, and it assured their survival, when the US companies chose a different path and are now all going out of business.

Now, to give priority to the single group that has the worst communication skills is a recipe for disaster. People with poor people skills and good logic and mental reasoning will not do well here.
Osakadaz at 03:15 PM JST - 22nd June

isn't the required length of stay before p.residency 9 years at the moment?
helloklitty at 04:08 PM JST - 22nd June

medieval corporate culture

love that expression
apecNetworks at 05:05 PM JST - 22nd June

To PepinGalarga:

I have been w/ this for a loooong time and did experience something that may shed insight into your comment:

Now, to give priority to the single group that has the worst communication skills is a recipe for disaster. People with poor people skills and good logic and mental reasoning will not do well here.

I have met some top students at top universities in Japan, and just talking w/ them for a little bit, I could tell they would not socially fit in many settings, but could sense the sheer brainpower. The Japanese educational system to a large extent does allow the top score achievers to rise to the top, and found that society nurtures and protects the top achievers b/c they are able to make breakthroughs in many fields. The Japanese does respect high abilities and can accept them socially. If the Japanese can recognize exceptional abilities, they can accept foreign experts as well for these are the people who may build a product which may result in thousands of jobs.
mikekchar at 05:34 PM JST - 22nd June

I don't know what skills they will target, but I can tell you that for the average skilled IT worker (i.e., sysadmin, programmer, etc... not QA, product management, etc) the working conditions in Japan will probably be better than at home. 100 hour work weeks are not uncommon in Canada, the UK or the US. Constant pager activity (and I mean constant) is also not uncommon. For the first 5 years of my career, I never had a weekend.

I came to Japan to escape that kind of lifestyle. I'm teaching now and I always find it funny to hear someone complain that teachers putting in 60 hour weeks are being "worked to death". I've never seen anyone bring a sleeping bag to work here. Don't know what it's like in the computing field here, but as I am an expert I might check it out when my teaching gig is done.

For what it's worth, I love it here (been here 2 years). You've got to be culturally flexible, though. A lot of foreigners crash and burn here because they aren't willing to act like a Japanese person. By and large I find I'm accepted as long as I'm willing to jump through the same hoops everyone else is jumping through. It's not much different from home in that way -- only different hoops.

If they do go through with this, I can definitely see foreigners like me taking advantage of it. Maybe not a lot, but it will definitely be a welcome change.
Kalinikos at 05:56 PM JST - 22nd June

I agree with 'stirfry'...!

This Point Plan process is a retro-culture...! Nowadays people wants Quality of Life even more than Money!

I am talking with a recruitment office to move to Singapore next year!
Monoflow at 06:05 PM JST - 22nd June

Work for live... and not live for work! Although I have the chance to work in Japan (my wife is japanese), I prefer not to spend all of my life with working, what a waste. So, although I'll probably would pass the point system anyway (I'm in IT), I'll work at my homecountry, become an early retired and enjoy my life then in Japan...
WMD at 08:21 PM JST - 22nd June

What a laugh! These high level dudes and dudesses will still have trouble even renting the proverbial rabbit hutch, still be on the totally insecure 1 year contract, still have to submit their criminal fingerprints/photos at the airport, still have to put in absolutely oodles of unpaid overtime. If any high level personage does come to japan, you certainly can say that their brains must be decidely low level. Working in japan is nothing but a backward move to your personal and working life.
USB at 10:08 PM JST - 22nd June

"Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

uhh maybe not. They get 300,000 yen to go home.
memyselfI at 10:39 PM JST - 22nd June

Point System will create more racism among nihongin people.

Many will feel "Foreigners Are Taking Our Jobs " syndrome.

It will definitely bring more racism. How much can they make in Singapore and Thailand !!!!

Singapore and Thailand ??? Really
aedfed at 04:46 AM JST - 23rd June

How many points if grandfather's name was Taro?
PepinGalarga at 10:17 AM JST - 23rd June

Apec, yes, what you say is 100% correct, Japanese locals will have no choice but to accept foreigners that bring in new skills to the table. There will still be double standards, and they will be the first ones sent back or let go when things get better OR worse.

Just to look at a real life historical example, all the US and UK expats that dominated the financial industry in Tokyo were quickly sent back home in the late 90's and early 00's once the locals learned enough of these new financial engineering techniques to do the work on their own. This is an example of a deteriorating global situation, combined with an certain labor improvements in the Japanese job market and a continued preference for Japanese locals over foreigners.

For all foreigners involved, working in Japan will continue to be a high risk/low reward situation. The EU will definitely provide better working conditions, mobility and compensation than what a Japanese company could provide.