National Police Agency Launches Expert Panel on Accepting Foreign Workers in Security Industry
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Japan's National Police Agency held the first meeting of an expert panel on September 16, 2026, to discuss whether to accept foreign workers in the security industry. According to the Nikkei and other outlets, foreign employment in the security industry is currently effectively limited to spouses of Japanese nationals and permanent residents; an official from the agency's Community Safety Bureau said the sector faces "particularly severe labor shortages" but has been unable to make full use of foreign talent, and indicated the panel will examine whether to add security work to the "Specified Skilled Worker" visa category and to the new "cultivation employment" system set to take effect in April 2027.
The panel is composed of university professors, lawyers, and industry association executives with expertise in foreign employment, and aims to compile a report by around January 2027. Key issues are expected to include what level of Japanese language ability to require and whether to narrow the scope of security work eligible for foreign workers.
Current status: The specific timeline for accepting foreign workers and the details of eligible work categories remain unclear as of this writing. 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.