"Specified Skilled Worker" Residents Hit Record 444,256, Up 13.8% in Six Months; No. 2 Category Triples to 18,295
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Japan's Immigration Services Agency announced on September 29, 2026 that the number of foreign nationals residing in Japan under the work-purpose "Specified Skilled Worker" residence status had reached a record 444,256 as of the end of June 2026. According to Jiji Press and other outlets, this represents a 13.8% increase from the end of 2025, continuing the expansion of a system intended to address labor shortages.
By category, Specified Skilled Worker (i) accounted for 425,961 people, up 11.4% from the previous count, while category (ii) — which requires more advanced skills and carries no cap on renewals of the period of stay — stood at 18,295, roughly 2.3 times the previous figure. With about seven years having passed since the system began in 2019, the increase is believed to reflect growing numbers of workers transitioning from category (i) to category (ii). By nationality, Vietnam ranked first, followed by Indonesia and Myanmar; by place of residence, Aichi came first, followed by Tokyo, Osaka, Saitama, and Chiba.
Current status: A detailed sector-by-sector breakdown, and how the transition to the Employment for Skill Development system taking effect in April 2027 will affect Specified Skilled Worker numbers, remain unclear as of this writing. This article will be updated as further details emerge.
For an overview of the Specified Skilled Worker and Employment for Skill Development systems, see our explainer. Related article
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.