Immigration Services Agency Signs Cooperation Memorandum With Thailand on New "Ikusei Shuro" Worker Program; First Such Agreement With a Foreign Government
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Japan's Immigration Services Agency announced on June 2, 2026 that it had signed a memorandum of cooperation (MOC) with the Thai government to ensure the proper operation of "Ikusei Shuro" (fostering employment), the new program set to replace the technical intern trainee system. According to reports by Nikkei and Jiji Press, this marks the first time the agency has signed such a cooperation memorandum with a foreign government over the new program.
Under the memorandum, Japan will properly certify plans drawn up by accepting companies, while Thailand will properly certify "sending organizations" responsible for recruiting and training workers who wish to participate in the program. The agreement appears aimed at excluding improper intermediaries and correcting practices, such as excessive fees charged at the sending stage, that have drawn criticism under the existing technical intern trainee system.
The Ikusei Shuro program is scheduled to take effect in April 2027, covering 17 sectors including agriculture and construction, with an acceptance cap of 426,200 people over its first two years. Workers who complete three years under the program and pass skills and Japanese language tests will be eligible to transition to the "Specified Skilled Worker" status, which allows for medium- to long-term residency.
Current status: The outlook for similar cooperation memoranda with other sending countries remains unclear as of this writing. Although this announcement was made in June 2026, it has continued to draw renewed attention on social media as of August. This article will be updated as further details emerge.
Editorial Perspective
The Technical Intern Training Program is set to be replaced by the new Employment for Skill Development system in April 2027 (related article), and developments like this one can be seen as part of the institutional design process during that transition. Expanding acceptance also requires resolving practical issues such as broker problems in sending countries and building proper oversight systems among accepting employers. For the new system to work as intended rather than merely on paper, it will be important to continue examining how it actually operates once implemented.