MOST Japanese companies support loosening the country’s tight immigration system to cope with a severe labor shortage, but they favor skilled workers who can fit into the workplace, not an influx of unskilled laborers, a Reuters poll shows.

The labor market in fast-aging Japan is at its tightest in nearly half a century, and the government has cracked open the door to allow foreigners to work in such areas as farming, at car factories and in convenience stores.

But in a society that has long prized its homogeneity, the government insists these steps do not amount to open immigration. The Reuters Corporate Survey found that Japanese firms make a distinction between foreigners allowed to work because they pass suitability tests and unskilled immigrants.

The government in June unveiled plans to allow five-year work permits for foreigners in certain categories. Authorities are also considering allowing foreign workers who pass certain tests to stay indefinitely and bring their families —major changes for Japan.

The monthly Reuters poll found 57 percent of big and midsized Japanese firms employ foreigners and 60 percent favor a more open immigration system. But just 38 percent favored allowing unskilled workers into the country to ease labor shortages.

“Overall, Japanese firms remain cautious about accepting foreign workers,” said Yoshiyuki Suimon, senior economist at Nomura Securities, who reviewed the survey results. (SD-Agencies)