Japan plans to accept more than 300,000 blue-collar foreign workers over the next five years to help tackle labor shortages under a bill passed by parliament Saturday.

It is a major shift for a country that has long resisted large-scale immigration but is now unable to fill job vacancies in a range of industries. 

The new law will create two new visa categories: one for manual workers who can stay for five years and one for higher-skilled blue-collar workers who can stay indefinitely. 

The government expects about 340,000 workers to get permission to work in Japan under the plan in the first five years.

文本选自：The Wall Street Journal（华尔街日报）

作者：Alastair Gale

原文标题：Japan to Accept More Foreign Workers in a Break From Its Historical Stance

原文发布时间：07 Dec. 2018