[Editorial] Changes in Japan's Conservative Approach to Foreign Talent

[Financial News] Japan has traditionally been a highly conservative country in attracting foreign talent. Particularly in industries requiring specialized personnel such as healthcare and semiconductors, it rarely opened its doors to outsiders. This was due to concerns about weakening domestic industrial competitiveness. The shift in Japan's closed atmosphere began in the 2010s, as labor shortages caused by population decline emerged as a serious social issue. Since 2012, Japan has introduced a points-based system for highly skilled professionals, granting residency privileges based on specified evaluation criteria such as salary, education, career, and age. Benefits such as expanded bonus point categories and reduced residency periods for permanent residency applications were also expanded. In 2023, a special highly skilled professional system was established, allowing high-income foreign talents to be recognized as highly skilled professionals based solely on salary, work experience, and education without separate calculations. Benefits included allowing two domestic helpers, recognizing employment for spouses over 28 hours a week without career requirements, among others. The cumulative number of recognized cases under the highly skilled professional points system (according to the Japan Immigration Bureau) surged from 313 in 2012 to 46,946 in 2023. According to the OECD standard, Japan, which was a net exporter of AI talent until 2019, transitioned to a net importer from 2020.
South Korea is putting all its efforts into attracting foreign specialized personnel, driven by the rapid growth of the AI industry, but it is still difficult to find any significant achievements. Last September, the Ministry of Justice's 'New Immigration Policy', which includes the establishment of a 'Top Tier Visa' for advanced industry fields, remains at a general level without specific measures. Meanwhile, domestic foreign research personnel are not only struggling to be attracted but also frequently leaving the country after a few years. The main reason cited is the lower treatment compared to major countries, but it is the result of a combination of factors such as job shortages, a research culture that demands only objective indicators like short-term research results or the number of papers, and a lack of understanding of cultural diversity. Professor A said, "Despite the positive image of Korea, many foreign researchers are disappointed with the treatment." Even among those holding E1~E7 visas classified as specialized personnel, only a very few are engaged in advanced industries like AI, semiconductors, and biotechnology. Professor B from a domestic technology management graduate school, whom I met at a recent advanced industry-related forum, said, "I don't know how long the government and political circles will continue to shout unrealistic 'AI 1 million talent training' measures," emphasizing that "attracting foreign talent is an irresistible global trend." Now is the time to establish a dramatic turning point like Japan. mkchang@fnnews.com Min-Kwon Jang Reporter