Japan is changing because it needs workers. It is an aging society. This means it does not have enough workers. Japan's government has decided to employ workers from other countries to fill jobs. Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said his government will meet to approve a plan, which could become law on April 1. The new law would allow up to 345,000 foreign workers to help with its shortage of labor. Many of these will work in construction, fishing, healthcare and agriculture. They will be mainly low-skilled workers and need to pass a Japanese language test.
Japan's government said on Saturday that it had to change and let more foreign workers in to help the economy. It said: "If Japan simply continued along the same path, we would find ourselves in a very difficult situation." The government will make sure foreign workers can quickly adjust to life in cities and towns. It said: "We want to ensure they have the right environment in which to live and work." Japanese people are having fewer children - only 1.4 children per woman. This should be 2.1 for Japan to have enough workers. Japan's population is already dropping every year.
