Bangladesh Prepares to Expand Worker Dispatch to Japan Under Specified Skilled Worker Program
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(Translated and summarized report) The government of Bangladesh is stepping up preparations to be able to send workers to Japan across all 16 fields covered by the Specified Skilled Worker (SSW) residence status. According to the local English-language newspaper The Business Standard, in order to expand its worker-sending capacity from the six fields it had previously been limited to, to all 16 fields, the Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment has created senior-level posts and a special adviser position and established a dedicated unit called the "Japan Cell." Staffing at the Bangladesh Embassy in Tokyo has also been increased.
This move comes against the backdrop of Japan's goal of accepting roughly 820,000 foreign workers overall under the Specified Skilled Worker program by March 2029. Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Myanmar currently account for the largest shares of Specified Skilled Worker personnel by country of origin, and Bangladesh is believed to be seeking to expand its presence in this field.
This article is a translation and summary based on reporting from overseas media, and confirmation from primary sources, such as official announcements by the Bangladesh government, had not been obtained as of this writing. For details of Japan's acceptance system, please also refer to related coverage (new fields added under the Specified Skilled Worker program).
The Specified Skilled Worker program is a residence status created in 2019 to address severe labor shortages. It initially covered 14 fields, and in January 2026 three new fields — linen supply, logistics warehousing, and resource recycling — were added (related coverage). The Japanese government expects to accept a combined total of more than 1.23 million foreign workers under the Specified Skilled Worker and Employment for Skill Development programs by March 2029 (related coverage), and the readiness of sending countries' systems is a key factor in whether that target will be met.
On the Bangladesh side, the State Minister for Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment met with a Japanese delegation in Dhaka in March 2026 to discuss strengthening Japanese-language education and expanding study and work opportunities (related coverage). Meanwhile, Japan has also reportedly been considering making proof of Japanese-language proficiency mandatory for Specified Skilled Worker visa applicants (related coverage), suggesting that institutional strengthening on the sending-country side and quality assurance on the receiving side are proceeding in parallel. Bangladesh is also among the countries with the largest Muslim populations in the world, and building a reception environment that includes religious accommodations may become a future challenge.