By SUZUKA TOMINAGA/ Staff Writer
January 4, 2025 at 18:35 JST
The Ibaraki prefectural government building (Asahi Shimbun file photo)
MITO--Nationality will not be an issue for people applying for clerical positions in the Ibaraki prefectural government, according to an official announcement.
This policy starting in fiscal 2026 will apply to administrative staff, including those in the governor’s office.
With a growing foreign population, officials said it is essential to give non-Japanese the opportunity to play an active role in the prefectural government.
The nationality requirement will be removed for clerical positions for university and high school graduates beginning with the recruitment examination for which applications will be accepted from March 2025, according to the prefectural government’s human resources department.
Non-Japanese who are hired will be expected to make use of their language skills, knowledge and experience of living in this country.
Specifically, they will be tasked with providing support to foreign nationals living in the prefecture, securing foreign human resources as needed and attracting inbound visitors.
Since these tasks are mainly performed by clerical staff, this policy is limited to clerical staff.
Non-Japanese will not be allowed to work in positions that involve “exercising public authority” or “participating in the formation of public will” that affect the rights and obligations of prefectural residents.
Examples include on-site inspections and crackdowns on waste disposal facilities, construction permits and licenses, tax notices, and tax payment decisions.
In addition, foreign nationals will not be allowed to hold managerial positions at or above the level of section chief with decision-making authority, or to serve as the head of a subordinate organization.
The nationality requirement has already been removed for some positions, such as doctors, nurses and public health nurses, officials noted.
Eleven other prefectures have hired clerical and technical staff without regard to nationality, the officials added.
Gunma town will allow foreign residents to be civil servants
January 16, 2024
Gifu hospital hires diverse staff to help foreign patients
May 22, 2024
Nurse shortages raise concerns in quake-hit Noto Peninsula area
March 4, 2024
Banks changing with the times by ditching female-only uniforms
December 30, 2022
Vice governor in Gifu ‘too busy,’ had to smoke in office for years
June 6, 2024
Police confirm 6 cases of inappropriate questioning of foreigners
November 17, 2022
A series based on diplomatic documents declassified by Japan’s Foreign Ministry
Here is a collection of first-hand accounts by “hibakusha” atomic bomb survivors.
A peek through the music industry’s curtain at the producers who harnessed social media to help their idols go global.
Cooking experts, chefs and others involved in the field of food introduce their special recipes intertwined with their paths in life.
A series about Japanese-Americans and their memories of World War II
