From 1 April 2027, Ikusei Shūrō (Employment for Skill Development) replaces Technical Intern Training. Three years of paid work in shortage fields designed to bring you to Specified Skilled Worker (i) level — with the change TITP never allowed: you can move employers, after a 1–2 year period in the same field, or immediately if your rights are violated.
Key facts
- Starts
- 1 April 2027 (law of 21 June 2024)
- Replaces
- Technical Intern Training (TITP)
- Length
- 3 years, on a certified per-person training plan
- Goal
- Reach Specified Skilled Worker (i) level
- Job change
- Allowed: after 1–2 years in the same field — immediately if rights are violated
- Japanese at entry
- A1 level (JFT-Basic 145+ / JLPT N5) or a designated course
Why TITP is being replaced
The numbers tell the story: in 2025, Specified Skilled Worker grew by more than 105,000 people; Technical Intern Training grew by 23. The old program — officially about “transferring skills to developing countries”, in practice Japan’s blue-collar labor pipeline — banned job changes, which trapped workers with bad employers and made scandals routine. The law of 21 June 2024 abolishes it and creates Ikusei Shūrō (育成就労, “Employment for Skill Development”), starting 1 April 2027.
What the new program is
Three years of ordinary paid employment in designated shortage fields, on an individual training plan certified for each worker, with one explicit goal: by the end of the three years you reach Specified Skilled Worker (i) level — the Japanese test and skill test we cover in the SSW exam guide. The fields align with the SSW industry fields, so the skill you build is the skill the next visa needs.
To start, you need A1-level Japanese — the JFT-Basic now grades an A1 band (score 145–174) precisely for this program, JLPT N5 also qualifies, and a designated Japanese course can substitute. That is a real but modest bar: it exists so people stop arriving with zero Japanese into jobs where safety instructions matter.
The change that matters: you can leave a bad employer
Under TITP, changing employers was essentially prohibited. Under Ikusei Shūrō:
- If your rights are violated — unpaid wages, abuse, confiscated documents — transfer is possible at any time, and the support machinery for it is written into the law.
- By your own choice, transfer is possible after a restriction period of 1 to 2 years, set per field (care is planned at 2 years, building cleaning at 1), within the same job category, provided you meet skill and Japanese-language conditions and the receiving employer is certified as a compliant operator.
This is the difference between a program you can leave and one you cannot. It is also why wages should drift upward: employers who underpay can now lose people.
Cleaning up the sending side
Workers will come only from countries that sign a bilateral memorandum (MOC) with Japan. This is aimed at the sending-country brokers who load workers with debt before they ever land. The practical advice follows directly: your route runs through the official framework of your country, and anyone selling “slots” in the new system before April 2027 is selling air.
If you are on TITP now
Your current status continues under existing rules — the new system does not cancel it. The decisions worth watching are the transition arrangements published on the ISA pages, and whether moving to SSW (i) directly — which TITP (ii) completers can do without exams — beats waiting for the new program.
Step by step
- Check your country has an agreement
Workers come only from countries that sign a bilateral memorandum (MOC) with Japan — this is how the worst sending brokers are being cut out.
- Meet the A1 Japanese line
JFT-Basic now grades the A1 band (145–174) exactly for this program; JLPT N5 also works, and a designated course can substitute.
- Enter on a certified 3-year plan
Each worker gets an individual training plan certified by the new oversight body — wages under normal labor law, like any employee.
- Pass the SSW-1 tests during the 3 years
The program is explicitly a runway to Specified Skilled Worker (i) — the same JFT/skill tests covered in our SSW exam guide.
- Then SSW (i) → (ii)
From SSW (i), the long-term route continues to SSW (ii) and permanent-residence eligibility.
Common mistakes & warnings
- Anyone selling "Ikusei Shūrō slots" before April 2027 is selling something that does not exist yet. Recruitment runs only through the bilateral frameworks.
- Details are still being finalized — operational guidelines were updated as recently as April 2026. Check the ISA pages before relying on any secondary source, including this page.
- If you are on TITP now, your current status continues under its own rules; the new system does not cancel existing stays.
Frequently asked questions
Can I really change employers?
Yes — that is the headline change. After a restriction period of 1–2 years (set per field: care is planned at 2 years, building cleaning at 1), you can request a transfer within the same job category if you meet skill and Japanese conditions and the receiving employer is certified as compliant. If your rights are violated, transfer is possible at any time.
How is this different from Technical Intern Training?
TITP officially existed for "skill transfer to your home country" and banned job changes — which is what made abuse hard to escape. Ikusei Shūrō is officially a labor program: its stated purpose is developing you to SSW-1 level, wages fall under ordinary labor law, and mobility exists.
Does the time count toward permanent residency?
The designed route to settlement runs through SSW: finish the 3 years, move to SSW (i), then SSW (ii) — the tier with no renewal limit that leads toward PR. Plan around that chain, not around the 3 years alone.
Official sources
This page provides general information only and is not legal advice. Immigration rules change; always confirm details with the official sources listed above before making decisions.