Eased language requirement proposed for non-Japanese bus and taxi drivers

Japan Times

a day ago

The government, at an expert panel meeting on Wednesday, proposed easing the Japanese language proficiency requirement for non-Japanese drivers working in the country, aiming to address the serious labor shortages in the bus and taxi industry.
The panel met at the Justice Ministry to discuss the country's foreign worker programs.
Japan accepts foreign bus and taxi drivers under the Type 1 category of its residency status system for foreign nationals with certain skill levels. With Type 1 status, they are allowed to work in Japan for up to five years.
Bus and taxi drivers are required to have higher Japanese language proficiency than in other occupations, as they need to offer customer services and handle emergency situations.
The government decided to ease the language requirement for bus and taxi drivers after the number of successful applicants for a Type 1 residency evaluation test for those jobs stood at zero as of the end of April this year.
Currently, foreign nationals wanting to work as bus or taxi drivers in Japan are required to have the N3 level of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test, which shows an ability to understand daily conversations to some extent and is the third highest of the five-level system.
The government is looking at lowering the requirement by one notch to the N4 level.
Drivers with the N4 Japanese language level will be required to be accompanied by a Japanese-language helper when on duty and will be encouraged to reach the N3 proficiency level as soon as possible.
At the meeting, the government also proposed adding the field of logistics warehouses, the sector providing bed sheets and other items to hotels and hospitals, and the industry related to waste disposals to the list of industries eligible for the Type 1 program and a new skill development program for foreign workers.
The new program will be introduced in April 2027, replacing the country's technical intern program. It aims to train foreign nationals to be eligible for Type 1 status in three years.