Restaurant operators across Japan are reassessing recruitment strategies after immigration authorities suspended the issuance of a major work visa used to hire foreign employees in the food service sector, according to Kyodo News.
The freeze affects applications for the Type I Specified Skilled Worker visa, a program heavily relied upon by restaurants and fast-food chains facing persistent labor shortages across the country.
Government figures cited by Kyodo showed that nearly 46,000 foreign workers were employed in Japan’s food service industry under the visa scheme as of February, approaching the official ceiling of 50,000 workers set through fiscal 2028.
The sudden suspension has raised concerns among restaurant businesses that overseas applicants could abandon plans to work in Japan in favor of opportunities in other countries.
Major companies, including Skylark Holdings and Mos Food Services, warned that staffing shortages may disrupt store operations, delay expansion plans and intensify hiring challenges.
Industry organizations have also expressed fears that competition for workers already holding valid visas will increase sharply, while Japan’s reputation as a destination for foreign labor could weaken.
Japan has increasingly turned to overseas workers in recent years to offset labor shortages caused by a declining birth rate and an aging population, despite historically maintaining strict immigration controls.