Photo/Illutration The No. 1 building of the Tokyo metropolitan government office in the capital’s Shinjuku Ward (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

Foreign nationals who obtained the Japanese beautician’s license will soon be able to work their magic at hair salons in Tokyo.

The metropolitan government plans to ease regulations to allow non-Japanese beauticians to work in the capital for up to five years from as early as October under the central government’s national strategy special zone framework, sources said.

Currently, foreign nationals can obtain resident status only in limited fields, such as nursing care and farming, to work in Japan. Beauticians are not covered.

This means even holders of the beautician’s license cannot work in Japan unless they are permanent residents of the country.

Tokyo will be the first local government to address this longstanding “contradiction.”

Under the plan, the licensed beauticians will be able to obtain the “designated activities” visa if they are 18 years or older and meet certain qualifications, including Japanese proficiency.

One requirement will be that applicants intend to share techniques they learn in Japan with others after returning to their home countries.

The metropolitan government hopes to increase Tokyo’s presence by spreading Japanese hairstyling techniques abroad.

In 2018, the Beauty Shop Owner’s Association, a trade group that organizes Tokyo-based operators, called on the metropolitan government to allow foreign beauticians to work by utilizing a special zone system.

“Japan, an advanced nation, is isolated from the rest of the world when it comes to beauty salons,” the association said.

The industry is known for a high personnel turnover rate and a chronic manpower shortage because beauticians work long hours for relatively low pay.

A public relations official of another industry association expressed concerns that the planned deregulation may be seen as an attempt to use foreign workers to solve a labor shortage.

The metropolitan government plans to create a monitoring mechanism to prevent unfair treatment of foreign beauticians, such as being employed for unreasonably low wages.

Beauticians’ associations and other groups will serve as supervisory bodies. They will check working conditions and environments at least once every six months and report the findings to the metropolitan government.

Related News