Japanese-Language Training Capacity for New Work Program Stands at 7,500 Nationwide Against 150,000 Expected Arrivals a Year, Nikkei Reports
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The Nikkei reported on the front page of its October 7, 2026 morning edition that there is a shortage of capacity for the Japanese-language training that underpins the employment for skill development system launching in April 2027. According to the newspaper's analysis of an Immigration Services Agency survey, training places at institutions certified by the Ministry of Education stand at 7,500 nationwide, while roughly 150,000 people a year are expected to arrive under the program.
The newspaper reported that training places are concentrated in Tokyo and Osaka, with 31 prefectures offering fewer than 100. The employment for skill development system is scheduled to take effect on April 1, 2027 as the successor to the technical intern training system, and ensuring that workers acquire a baseline level of Japanese before starting work is one of its central pillars. NHK had also reported on October 1, 2026 that securing enough Japanese-language teaching capacity was a challenge with less than six months remaining before the system begins.
Current status: How the government will respond to the shortfall, and the outlook for expanding the number of certified institutions, remain unclear as of this writing. This article will be updated as further details emerge.
On Japanese-language education more broadly, the Ministry of Education has indicated it will include an expansion of "pre-class" intensive Japanese instruction for foreign residents in its fiscal 2027 budget request. Related coverage
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.