Japan stopped accepting visa applications for foreign restaurant workers under the specified skilled workers program on Monday as the number of those allowed to work in the restaurant sector is nearing capacity.
As of the end of February, there were around 46,000 foreign specified skilled workers in the food service industry, according to the Immigration Services Agency.
The agency said at this rate, it will most likely reach 50,000 — set as the capacity for the restaurant sector over the five-year period starting in April 2024 — by May 2026, and consequently announced on March 27 it would stop accepting new applications.
