2025-05-25

Specified Skills is a system under which companies in fields where it is difficult to secure human resources accept foreign workers with a certain level of expertise and skills. There are several requirements for companies in the manufacturing industry, which we will explain in detail.

What are specific skills?

Specified Technical Skills is a system for accepting foreign nationals with a certain level of expertise and skills in Japanese industrial fields where it is difficult to secure human resources. It falls under the category of “specified skills” within the status of residence.

There are two types of “Specified Technical Skills”: “Specified Technical Skill No. 1” and “Specified Technical Skill No. 2. Specified Technical Skill No. 1 is a status of residence for foreign nationals who possess skills required for specific industrial fields. Specified Technical Skill No. 2 is a status of residence for foreigners who possess skilled skills to engage in a specific industrial field.

What is a manufacturing industry?

The specified industrial fields that accept foreign nationals with “Specified Technical Skills 1” are as follows.

(1) nursing care, (2) building cleaning, (3) industrial product manufacturing, (4) construction, (5) shipbuilding/marine industry, (6) automobile maintenance, (7) aviation, (8) lodging, (9) automobile transportation, (10) railroad, (11) agriculture, (12) fishing, (13) food and beverage manufacturing, (14) restaurant industry, (15) forestry, (16) lumber industry

On the other hand, foreigners with “Specified Technical Skills No. 2” can be accepted only in 11 fields other than those listed above (1), (9), (10), (15), and (16). However, the “industrial product manufacturing” category (3) is applicable to some business categories.

There are a total of 10 business categories in the “industrial product manufacturing industry. The following are the subject categories.
・Machinery and metal processing
・Electrical, electronics, and equipment assembly
・Metal surface treatment
・Paper container and corrugated box manufacturing
・Concrete product manufacturing
・RPF manufacturing
・Ceramic product manufacturing
・Printing and bookbinding
・Spinning and weaving product manufacturing
・Sewing

What are the requirements for companies accepting foreign workers?

Companies in the “industrial product manufacturing” sector must meet one of the following requirements for accepting foreign nationals with specified skills. Companies that accept “No. 2 Specified Skilled Foreigners” are those in the industrial fields marked with an asterisk (*).

・11: Textile industry
・141: Pulp manufacturing industry
・1421 ： Paper manufacturing industry
・1422: Paperboard manufacturing
・1423: Machine-peeled Japanese paper manufacturing
・1431 : Coated paper, except printing paper
・1432 : Corrugated board manufacturers
・144 ： Paper product manufacturing
・・145 ： Paper container manufacturing
・149 : Manufacture of other pulp, paper and paper products
・15 : Printing and related industries
・18: Manufacture of plastic products
・2123: Manufacture of concrete products
・2142 : Manufacture of porcelain for table and china
・2143: Manufacture of ceramic ornaments
※2194 : Manufacture of molds (including cores)
・2211: Iron and steel making by blast furnaces
・2212: Iron and steel making not by blast furnaces
・2221: Steelmaking and steel rolling
・2231 : Hot rolling (except steel pipe and steel rolling)
・2232 : Cold rolling (except steel pipe and steel rolling)
・2234 : Manufacture of steel pipes 3299 Miscellaneous manufacturing, n.e.c. (RPF manufacturing only)
・484 : Packing
・2299 Iron and steel industry, n.e.c. (limited, however, to the manufacture of iron powder)
※2422 : Manufacture of machine knives
※2424 : Manufacture of working tools
※2431 : Manufacture of fittings for plumbing works (except valves and cocks)
・2441: Steel frame manufacturing
・2443: Manufacture of metal sashes and doors
・2443 : Manufacture of metal sashes and doors *2446 : Sheet metal working (only for manufacture of welded containers and bulk storage tanks for high-pressure gas)
※2445: Manufacture of metal and metal formed products
・2461 : Painting of metal products
※2462 : Hot-dip plating (excluding surface-treated steel products)
※2464 : Electroplating (excluding surface treated steel products)
※2465 : Heat treatment of metal
※2469: Other metal surface treatment (only aluminum anodic oxide treatment)
※2468 : Manufacture of bolts, nuts, rivets, small screws, wooden screws, etc.
・2499 : Manufacture of metal products, n.e.c.
※25 : Manufacture of machinery and apparatus for general use (except 2591 Manufacture of fire extinguishing apparatus and extinguishing equipment)
※26 : Manufacture of machinery and equipment for production
※27 : Manufacture of machinery and equipment for business use (excluding 274 Manufacture of medical equipment and instruments and medical supplies and 276 Manufacture of arms)
※28 : Manufacture of electronic parts, devices and circuits
※29 : Manufacture of electrical machinery and apparatus (except 2922 Internal combustion engine electrical components)
※30 : Manufacture of information and communication machinery and equipment
※3295 : Manufacture of industrial models
※225 : Manufacture of steel profiles
・2291 : Steel shear slitting
※235: Manufacture of nonferrous metal profiles

Another requirement is that the manufactured goods from which sales are obtained must be manufactured and shipped using raw materials owned by the company.

In addition, in order for a company to accept a foreign national with specified skills, it must be a member of the “Council for Acceptance of Foreign Nationals with Specified Skills in the Manufacturing Industry” established by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI).

Summary

In order to accept a foreign national with specified skills, the company’s industrial field must fall under the designated one. In addition, the company must manufacture its products using raw materials owned by the company, and must be a member of the “Council for the Acceptance of Specified Skilled Foreign Workers in the Manufacturing Industry”.