Recently, the number of foreigners working in Japan has been increasing.

The number of foreign workers was 1,658,804, an increase of 198,341, or 13.6 %, from the same period last year.

(This is the highest number ever recorded since reporting became mandatory in 2007.  By nationality, the largest number of foreign workers was from China, with 418,327 people (25.2 % of the total number of foreign workers).

This is followed by Vietnam with 401,326 people (24.2 %) and the Philippines with 179,685 people (10.8 %).

Compared to the previous year, growth rates were as follows: Vietnam (26.7 %), Indonesia (23.4 %), and Nepal (12.5 %).

By type of residence status, the number of workers with "professional and technical residence status" was 329,034, an increase of 52,264, or 18.9 %, from the same period last year.

In addition, the number of workers with "status-based residence status," such as permanent residents and spouses of Japanese nationals, was 531,781, an increase of 36,113, or 7.3 %, from the same period last year.

*Researched by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (as of the end of October 2019)

In fact, we spoke to a Chinese woman with five years of work experience who works for a Japanese company.

Kim Yin-hee, Sales position for 5 years, Nationality: Chinese

-What made you start learning Japanese?

Kim) I studied Japanese as a second foreign language in Yanbian, in the northeastern region of China, for six years, from the first year of junior high school, and after that I came to Japan to study.

I had heard from my seniors at school and relatives that Japan had good sanitation and well-maintained cities, but what really sparked my interest was the similarities between Japanese and the Korean language I was studying at the time.

After graduating from high school, I studied Japanese for a year and a half at a Japanese university, and then graduated from the Department of Life and Information Studies at the same university.

-You had planned to return to China after working in Japan, but you felt that the Japanese working style suited you. What differences did you notice between working styles in Japan and China after talking with your Chinese friends?

Kim-san) Work in China is a little more relaxed than in Japan, but that was the biggest difference.

Currently, I am in charge of sales for introducing Japanese language training for foreign employees working in companies, etc., and I always try to provide "omotenashi" (hospitality) to customers.

Because I have walked the same path, I would like many people who will be learning Japanese and business etiquette for working at a Japanese company to learn it thoroughly.

Also, seeing our customers' growth firsthand motivates me in my own work.

Mr. Kane has the top performance in the sales department, and I believe this is the result of his own efforts and the fact that he always keeps in mind the "spirit of hospitality."