Japan's Immigration Services Agency opened a monthlong public comment period on September 16 for a draft ordinance that would let foreign nationals licensed as dental technicians and speech-language-hearing therapists work under the country's Medical residence status. The agency's stated reason is direct: the share of the population aged 75 and older is rising quickly, increasing regional medical needs.
Under the current rule, that visa category already covers doctors, dentists, pharmacists, public health nurses, midwives, nurses, assistant nurses, dental hygienists, radiological technologists, physical and occupational therapists, orthoptists, clinical engineers and prosthetists. The draft would add dental technicians and speech-language-hearing therapists to that list.
Comments can be filed through the e-Gov portal, by email, or by post, addressed to the agency's Councillor's Office, through October 15. The case is listed under number 315000145, with the same Councillor's Office named as the contact for inquiries. If the ordinance proceeds without change, the agency is targeting promulgation in November 2026, with the rule taking effect the same day.
For hospital administrators and rehabilitation clinics, the practical effect is a wider foreign-recruitment channel, not an immediate one. The amendment remains a draft during the comment window, and the notice reviewed here includes no estimate of how many additional workers might qualify.