An Indonesian technical intern trainee hurries to ship scallions during the peak harvest season in Tendo, Yamagata Prefecture. (©Sankei by Akimitsu Kikuchi)
At a processing plant in Yaizu City, Shizuoka Prefecture — an area renowned for its fishing industry — workers in uniform use electric saws to slice off the heads and tails of frozen bonito.
Nearby, Le Xuan Quang, a 28-year-old Vietnamese worker, is assigned to shaping the fish to customer specifications. He removes the skin and excess parts using a machine fitted with a high-speed rotating blade.
The city's seafood processor, Yamafuku Suisan, relies on skilled manual techniques to carry out so-called "one-frozen" processing. Under this method, the catch is frozen onboard before being shipped.
Portions of the bonito and tuna are exported to Europe and the United States for use as sushi ingredients.
Of the company's 14 processing workers, nearly half are foreign nationals, primarily from Vietnam. A quick learner, Le was selected in 2025 as the company's first foreign national to serve as a site leader. He came to Japan as a technical intern in 2018 and obtained Specified Skilled Worker residency status, allowing him to become an immediate asset to the company after just five years.
"I want to get married in Japan and become a permanent resident," Le says.
Processing Leans on Foreign Labor
Japan's seafood processing sector — whose "Made in Japan" label is highly valued overseas — relies heavily on foreign labor.
According to 2023 statistics from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, foreign nationals accounted for 13% of the 129,122 people employed in seafood processing nationwide. In Yaizu City, the share was even higher, at 19%, or 542 workers.
"In the past, part-time housewives and migrant workers were the mainstay, but they've almost disappeared," says a representative of the Yaizu Fisheries Processing Center, which coordinates technical intern trainees for companies in the city.
"Foreign nationals are now the ones supporting the industry instead."
About 130 people are currently accepted through the center. "There used to be around 150. If the number falls any further, it could disrupt production," he adds, expressing concern.
Agriculture Turns to Overseas Labor
Foreign workers are indispensable in agriculture as well. Negibito Company operates a three-hectare collection site in Tendo City, Yamagata Prefecture. The company produces high-end leeks, including the "Mona Lisa" variety, which can sell for ¥10,000 JPY ($65 USD) per stalk.
The site was operating at full capacity during the peak season in late December 2025. In the processing area, machines used air pressure to remove the outer skin and shape the leeks. The air was thick with tear-inducing compounds.
Even so, the expressions of the 11 workers from Indonesia, Cambodia, and Vietnam remained bright.
"Cheap labor is a thing of the past," says Tsuyoshi Shimizu, the company's 45-year-old president. "They work hard and earn the same wages as Japanese employees."
"Tasks that once required ten people can now be done by eight," he adds.
Negibito Company began accepting technical trainees as its Japanese workforce aged. One of them is Bui Thi Phuong Thao, a 35-year-old Vietnamese national who works at the company while her husband, 34, and their two sons remain in Vietnam.
Although she feels lonely, her income has doubled. "Even if I have to return home, I want to come back to Japan and work in agriculture again," she says.
Labor Shortage Meets Tighter Policy
According to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, the number of foreign workers in Japan reached a record high of 2,302,587 as of October 2024, up 12.4% from a year earlier.
The number of workplaces employing foreign workers also increased, rising 7.3% to 342,087.
A recent nationwide Sankei Shimbun survey of 1,741 mayors and municipal leaders on foreign residents drew responses from more than 80% of those contacted. More than half of the municipalities said foreign residents were indispensable, with 704 citing "securing labor" as the primary reason.
When the Yaizu Fisheries Processing Center first began accepting trainees in 2000, most were from China. The focus later shifted to Vietnam and then to Myanmar.
However, as Myanmar descended into civil war, the number of trainees fell. Factors included the expansion of Myanmar's age range subject to conscription.
The center is now turning its attention to Indonesia and has begun dispatching staff there. Many people in major cities, including the capital Jakarta, aim to work in Tokyo. To widen its talent pool, the center is negotiating with dispatch agencies in regional areas, including outlying islands.
Meanwhile, the Sanae Takaichi administration is moving to tighten regulations on foreign nationals. In December 2025, it set a cap on the new "Employment for Skill Development" system, which is set to replace the Technical Intern Training Program. The intake is said to be limited to a restrained number.
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- As Foreign Hiring Grows, Japanese Paperwork Remains a Major Hurdle
Author: Hiromi Aoyama, The Sankei Shimbun
(Read this in Japanese)
