Signed June 2, 2026, effective the same day — the first bilateral MOC under Ikusei Shurou
On June 2, 2026, Japan (Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, National Police Agency) and the Kingdom of Thailand (Ministry of Labour) concluded a Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) on the Ikusei Shurou (Employment for Skill Development) program. The Immigration Services Agency announced it on June 4. The two countries already had an MOC on the Technical Intern Training Program; because the Ikusei Shurou program begins operating in place of technical intern training, a new memorandum was prepared. This is the first MOC ever concluded for the Ikusei Shurou program. Its purpose is to set out bilateral commitments on the sending and receiving of Ikusei Shurou foreign nationals so that both countries cooperate in protecting those workers and running the program properly. Japan commits to properly handling permits for supervising and supporting organizations (kanri shien kikan) and certification of Ikusei Shurou plans under the standards of the Ikusei Shurou Act, and to notify Thailand when a permit or a plan certification is revoked. Thailand commits to properly accrediting sending organizations under the MOC standards and to notify Japan when an accreditation is revoked. If either side reports an inappropriate operator — an Ikusei Shurou implementing organization in Japan, or a sending organization in Thailand — the other side investigates, deals with it appropriately, and reports the result back. The two sides will consult as needed, and cooperation started on the day of signing.
There is now an official bilateral framework behind the route from Thailand to Japan under Ikusei Shurou. Sending organizations in Thailand are subject to accreditation by the Thai Ministry of Labour under the MOC standards, while on the Japanese side supervising/supporting organizations need a permit and the receiving side needs its Ikusei Shurou plan certified. In practice, both the organization you deal with before departure and the organizations you deal with after arrival must have cleared their own government's screening. Because each government notifies the other when a permit or accreditation is revoked, information about problem operators is shared across borders. If Thailand reports an inappropriate implementing organization, Japan investigates; if Japan reports an inappropriate sending organization, Thailand investigates — and each reports the result back. So if you are treated differently from what your contract says after starting work in Japan, there is now a route through your home country's government as well as Japan's domestic consultation desks. The MOC text is published as PDFs in English and in Japanese provisional translation, so you can check the terms yourself before signing anything.
Japan's Immigration Services Agency published an 80-item Q&A on Ikusei Shuro, the work status starting April 1, 2027: three years of training toward Specified Skilled Worker (i) level, conditional worker-initiated transfers, and pre-launch filings from 2026.
Japan's Ikusei Shuro system starts April 1, 2027: A1-level Japanese before work and A2 within three years. The Immigration Services Agency has published a June 2026 list of institutions offering the required courses.
OTIT has published the sector operational guidelines for logistics and warehousing under Japan's Employment for Skill Development system, due to start in April 2027 with extra standards for supervisors.