Japan Opens Specified Skilled Worker Visas to Auto Parts ManufacturingA · FULL TRANSLATION
# specified skilled worker# auto parts# labour shortage
Key Points
- From 2026, the auto parts manufacturing field is formally open to Specified Skilled Worker visas.
- Staffing firm Make One says its cumulative placements exceed 600 workers.
- The backdrop is worsening labour shortages in manufacturing.
Analysis
Labour shortages in Japanese manufacturing have moved from hiring difficulty to idle production lines. Auto parts manufacturing has now been added to the Specified Skilled Worker programme, opening a formal route for foreign workers, and one staffing firm's tally of more than 600 placements shows the demand was already there.