Foreign workers in Japan hit record 1.46 million

Foreign workers in Japan have grown more than three times over the past 10 years, reaching a record 1.46 million as of October last year, data from the government shows.

The figure is a 14.2% rise from a year earlier, according to data released by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare.

The number of foreign workers has seen an increase for 11 years running.

In 2008, the number of foreign workers was just 486,000.

Despite strong growth in foreign workers, many Japanese firms continue to struggle because of the shrinkage in the labor pool.

To address the shortage, Japan has been steadily relaxing  visa restrictions. Consequently, robust growth in foreign workers is expected to continue in the years ahead.