Visa perks eyed to lure foreigners

The government on Thursday outlined plans to give preferential treatment to foreigners with specialized skills to encourage them to work in Japan.

According to the Justice Ministry, the preferential treatment will be based on a point system that will allow visas of up to three years to be extended to five years. It will go into effect by the end of the year amid increasing international competition for competent human resources, especially engineers.

The points will be determined by checking annual income, work experience and other factors, with visa extensions or other preferential treatment given to those with a certain level of points.

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