Japan's Ikusei Shuro (Employment for Skill Development) system takes effect on April 1, 2027 — now half a year away. Under the new system, host organizations will be legally obligated to develop foreign workers' Japanese language ability and vocational skills. Yet as of June 2026, only 3 Japanese language institutions nationwide hold accreditation for the "employment" track required to deliver this training, and all three are located in Tokyo.
The Japanese Language Requirement
- Entry level (A1-equivalent): If a worker has not passed an A1-equivalent Japanese test at the time of Ikusei Shuro plan accreditation, the post-arrival orientation must include 100+ hours of "A1-equivalent course" instruction
- Target level (A2-equivalent): Host organizations must take necessary measures to ensure workers can complete 100+ hours of "A2-equivalent target course" instruction during the 3-year training period
- Post-arrival orientation totals up to 320 hours if the worker has not passed the test, or 220 hours if already passed (reducible via pre-arrival orientation)
- E-learning alone does not satisfy the requirement — live instruction by a registered Japanese language teacher is required
Only 3 Accredited "Employment-Track" Schools, All in Tokyo
As of June 2026, the following three institutions hold MEXT accreditation for an "employment" track:
- AOTS Japanese Language Education Center (1-30-1 Senju-Higashi, Adachi-ku, Tokyo; capacity 158; accredited October 31, 2025)
- Association for Japanese-Language Teaching (public interest incorporated association) (Toranomon ES Building, 3-25-2 Toranomon, Minato-ku, Tokyo; capacity 40; accredited March 31, 2025)
- JICE Japanese Language Education and Employment Support Center (16F, Shinjuku Dai-ichi Seimei Building, 2-7-1 Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo; capacity 415; accredited March 31, 2025)
Of these three, only the Association for Japanese-Language Teaching (AJALT) could actually deliver the course immediately as of June 2026; the other two (JICE and AOTS) were still only "considering providing" it. The total number of MEXT-accredited Japanese language institutions nationwide reached 96 by April 2026, but the most recent round of 32 newly accredited institutions were all for the "international student" track — zero new accreditations were granted for the employment track.
Teacher Workforce Composition
According to MEXT's FY2023 Survey on the Actual State of Japanese Language Education, Japanese language teaching staff break down as follows: volunteers, 50.3%; part-time staff, 34.1%; and full-time staff, only 15.6%. The total number of registered Japanese language teachers stood at roughly 19,000 as of July 2026. The volunteer share has remained in the 50-60% range for roughly the past decade, raising concerns about the staffing base available to support the full-time-teacher-dependent employment-track curriculum.
Cost Allocation
Supervising-support organizations may bill host companies "course fees" covering actual costs such as facility usage, instructor/interpreter honoraria, and teaching materials for post-arrival orientation. However, these costs may not be passed on, directly or indirectly, to the technical intern trainee or Ikusei Shuro worker themselves.
Summary
- The Ikusei Shuro system takes effect April 1, 2027 — now half a year away — with Japanese language education capacity emerging as a key challenge
- Workers must complete 100+ hours of "A1-equivalent" instruction post-arrival, and 100+ hours of "A2-equivalent target" instruction within the 3-year training period
- Only 3 nationally accredited employment-track Japanese language institutions exist, all in Tokyo, with only 1 able to deliver the course immediately
- Only 15.6% of Japanese language teachers are full-time staff; volunteers make up the majority
Host companies and supervising organizations preparing to file Ikusei Shuro plan accreditation applications should confirm early which accredited Japanese language institution can be commissioned to provide instruction for their prospective technical intern trainees and Ikusei Shuro workers. For questions about the system's details or the transition to supervising-support organization status, consult Sakura Central Legal Office (MOJ-certified application agent).