🤝 Japan–Laos Sign Ikusei Shurou MOC

❓ What was agreed?

On August 31, 2026, Japan's Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare and the National Police Agency signed a Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) with the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare of the Lao People's Democratic Republic concerning the Ikusei Shurou (Employment for Skill Development) system. The text of the MOC is published on the MHLW and Immigration Services Agency websites. Ikusei Shurou is the new intake scheme replacing the Technical Intern Training Program, scheduled to start in April 2027. Under the technical intern system, Japan concluded a bilateral MOC with each sending country, and only sending organizations accredited by that country's government could send people to Japan. The same structure carries over to Ikusei Shurou, but the underlying memoranda must be concluded anew for the new system. This signing means that framework is now in place for Laos. OTIT maintains dedicated pages for Ikusei Shurou bilateral arrangements and for the list of foreign-government-accredited sending organizations, which are updated country by country as memoranda are signed.

👥 Who is affected?

• ●People in Laos considering working in Japan under the Ikusei Shurou system
• ●Lao nationals currently in technical intern training who may move to Ikusei Shurou or return to Japan
• ●Japanese companies planning to accept workers from Laos
• ●Organizations preparing to be licensed as supervising and support organizations
• ●Sending organizations in Laos and jobseekers considering using them

🌏 Impact on foreign residents

If you come to Japan from Laos under Ikusei Shurou, you must go through a sending organization accredited by your own government under this memorandum. Going through an unaccredited agency or an individual broker can mean your paperwork is not accepted, or that you are charged excessive fees. Before departure, always check whether the company appears on the accredited sending organization list. The list is published on the OTIT website, with a separate page for the Ikusei Shurou system. It is distinct from the technical intern training list, so make sure you are looking at the right page. The system is scheduled to start in 2027, and applications for supervising and support organization licences and for Ikusei Shurou plans are already being accepted ahead of the start date. Job openings will appear from here on — do not accept offers where the contract terms or fee structure are left vague.