By the end of October last year, the number of foreign workers in Japan was 1.08 million, that’s an increase of around 20% on the previous year. If you divide this up by country, three countries account for about 60%: with China with 340,000 people, Vietnam 170,000, and Philippines 130,000. The nationality whose numbers had risen the most was Vietnam with 56.4% more than the previous year, followed by Nepal at 35.1%. In terms of the industries these foreign workers entered there were three main fields with 32.6% in manufacturing, 12.9% in wholesaling and retailing, and 11.8 % in accommodation and food services. The kinds of employees divided into three types, each numbering around 200,000: workers with professional or technical expertise, students working part time jobs, and interns or trainees. The data clearly reflects the state of the labor market in Japan. In short, although there are increasing numbers of foreign workers with technical expertise, laborers from Asia are making up for a shortfall in certain industries. Many of these foreign students are enrolled at Japanese language schools, and they are allowed to work up to 28 hours a week, but it is said that many foreign students work more than this. During Japan’s period of rapid economic growth, immigrant workers were mainly Japanese language school students. On the other hand, it has been pointed out that though trainees hope to acquire technical expertise, they are used as cheap labor by businesses. The Japanese government does not grant entry to unskilled foreign workers. However, the reality is that businesses find it difficult to keep going without foreign labor. Business associations are asking that the government revise this policy. In answer to this, the government is preparing a new proficiency test. This test measures particular skills in the “Cool Japan” fields of anime and fashion, and in service industries such as dealing with customers. Successful candidates are given preferential treatment by companies.