Employment for Skill Development Operational Guidelines Posted (Partial)

The Immigration Services Agency (ISA) has posted the operational guidelines (運用要領) for the new Employment for Skill Development (育成就労, Ikusei Shuro) system, the successor to the long-criticised Technical Intern Training programme. The page was last updated on 6 April 2026 (Reiwa 8).

• Materials are organised into three sections: main guidelines (10 chapters plus appendices), reference forms, and ministerial-ordinance forms
• Coverage includes plan certification, supervising-and-support organisations, worker protections, and penalties
• ISA notes that some items — including the standards for "excellent" (優良) status and certain reference forms — "will be announced once preparation is complete" (準備ができ次第)
• Reference Form No. 5 is flagged with "will be posted when ready"

Operators should monitor the page for incremental updates rather than treating the current release as final.

Source: Immigration Services Agency — Employment for Skill Development Operational Guidelines