MARKET LEADER Premier Website Lessons 7 December 2018

PRE-INTERMEDIATE INTERMEDIATE

Managing people Globalisation, Employment

Starting up
Based on what you know, how ethnically diverse is Japanese society?
What kind of immigration policy do you think Japan has currently?

Reading
Japan is considering relaxing its strict rules on immigration. To find out more, read the article and
then do the exercise below.

Vocabulary 1
To help you with some of the vocabulary in the article, match the words and expressions (1-12) with
their meanings (a-l).

1 devised (para 1) a to officially give

2 to appease (para 1) b things that make it difficult to do something
3 gripped (para 1) c something no one ever talks about
4 contentious (para 2) d completely normal
5 profound (para 2) e increased quickly to a high level
6 ignited (para 2) f very great, very important
7 taboo (para 3) g difficult, hard
8 hurdles (para 4) h strongly affected
9 soared (para 5) i invented a new way of doing something
10 to issue (para 5) j started something controversial
11 tough (para 5) k likely to cause arguments and disagreements
12 commonplace (para 7) l to give someone what they want to avoid arguments

Answer: 1-i, 2-l, 3-h, 4-k, 5-f, 6-j,7-c, 8-b, 9-e, 10-a, 11-g, 12-d

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MARKET LEADER Premier Website Lessons 7 December 2018
PRE-INTERMEDIATE INTERMEDIATE

Managing people Globalisation, Employment

Japan demand for labour sparks immigration debate

1
When Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, devised a plan to create two new visa categories, he wanted to
appease Japanese companies that are gripped by labour shortages and desperate to hire more foreign staff.
2
But the prime minister’s contentious plan has profound implications for Japan and has ignited a debate it
has avoided for decades: should the world’s fastest-ageing country, and one of its most ethnically
homogeneous, accept immigrants to stabilise its population and economy?
3
At the heart of the controversy are two elements of Mr Abe’s plan that have been taboo in Japan. First, it will
create a path — however long and difficult — for guest workers to become permanent residents. Second, it
will allow some guest workers to bring their families.
4
On the defensive in parliament last week, Mr Abe insisted he was not adopting a “so-called immigration policy”.
He said the hurdles to permanent residence in Japan were high and he was not trying to lower them.
5
The population of foreign workers in Japan has soared in recent years — up 18 per cent in 2017 alone to
1.28m — but the majority are students or “trainees” whose visas make it impossible to stay for the long-term. Mr
Abe’s proposed reform would issue full work visas in areas with labour shortages, such as construction, with the
possibility of permanent residence for those who pass a tough Japanese language exam.
6
“Up to now we have only accepted highly skilled foreign labour and we’re transforming that to create a
new residence status for basic labourers as well,” said justice minister Takashi Yamashita.
7
Opinion polls suggest that 54 per cent of the public support Mr Abe’s plan, while 34 per cent oppose it. The
young are especially positive, reflecting a slow shift in attitudes, as booming numbers of tourists and guest
workers mean foreigners are increasingly commonplace across Japan.
8
Even if Mr Abe’s plans pass through parliament next spring, Japan is determined to learn from what it
regards as the errors of Europe and the US, by making sure any permanent resident is both a productive
worker and a fluent Japanese speaker. But the debate Mr Abe has ignited, and the shift in attitudes it has
revealed, suggest a long-closed country may finally be willing to open up.

© The Financial Times Limited. All Rights Reserved.

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MARKET LEADER Premier Website Lessons 7 December 2018
PRE-INTERMEDIATE INTERMEDIATE

Managing people Globalisation, Employment

Reading comprehension
Based on the information in the article, find the answers to these questions.

1 Why does Shinzo Abe want to make immigration to Japan easier for some categories of worker?
2 WhatBecause hashewantedbeentoappeasethe reactionJapanesecompaniestoShinzothatare grippedAbe’sbyproposal?labourshortages and desperate to hire more foreign staff.

3 WhyTheprimeis minister’sShinzocontentiousAbe’sproposalplanhasprofoundso implicationscontroversial?forJapan and has ignited a debate it has avoided for decades
4 What kind of foreigners can currently get visas to live and work in Japan?
Because On the defensive in parliament last week, Mr Abe insisted he was not adopting a “so-called immigration policy”. He said the hurdles to permanent residence in Japan were high and he was not trying to
lower them.
5 WhatHighlyskilledkindforeignof labourworkerscancurrentlymightgetvisasgettolivevisasandworkinin japanthe future?
6 HowThepossibilityeasy ofispermanentittogetresidencepermanentforthosewhopassresidenceatoughJapaneseinlanguageJapanexam.currently?
7 WhatStudy bothis atheproductivelevelworkerof andsupportspeakJapanesesfor fluentyShinzo Abe’s plan?
8 DoIt's many54% foreigners visit Japan these days?
9 How will Japan’s new rules for permanent residents differ from the rules in the US and most of Europe?

Vocabulary 2
Complete these sentences using words and phrases from Vocabulary 1.

1 The plan ________________ by Shinzo Abe to relax Japan’s strict immigration rules has proved
________________ and has ________________ a big debate, as it will probably have
________________ implications for Japanese society, one of the most homogeneous in the world.
2 Shinzo Abe wants to change the immigration rules to ________________ Japanese companies which are
________________ by labour shortages.
3 In recent years, the number of foreign students, tourists and guest workers in Japan has
________________ , so it is now quite ________________ to see foreigners in many parts of the country.
4 Nevertheless, there has long been a strong ________________ in the country against allowing guest
workers to become permanent residents and to settle in Japan with their families.
5 In spite of Mr Abe’s plan to ________________ full work visas to workers in industries with labour
shortages, the ________________ for people to get permanent residence remain high, especially as
all candidates have to pass a ________________ Japanese language exam.

Discuss
1 Have you been to Japan? From what you know, how easy do you think it is for foreigners to settle there?

2 Japan has been a very ethnically homogeneous society for a long time. What do you think will be the
impact on Japanese society of Shinzo Abe’s plan to make immigration easier for certain categories of
workers and their families?

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