Japan to Restart Accepting Foreign Workers for Meal Services

Tokyo, Oct. 19 (Jiji Press)--The Japanese government plans to resume accepting foreign workers for meal services at medical and welfare facilities, as well as schools, as an emergency measure starting next April, it was learned Monday.

The government presented the plan at a related expert panel meeting on the day. It aims to adopt the plan at a cabinet meeting in December.

The plan calls for moving meal services from the restaurant industry category to the food and beverage production category for Type 1 residency status for foreign workers with designated skills.

This April, the government suspended accepting foreign workers in the restaurant industry category as the number of Type 1 status holders in the category was approaching the upper limit of 50,000.

However, the shortage of meal service workers at hospitals and other facilities has worsened.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]