First foreign tour bus driver approved under Japan's new visa program

Iyus, a 40-year-old Indonesian national, has made history by becoming the first foreign national to obtain the “specified skilled worker” (SSW) residence status in Japan’s newly expanded “automobile and transportation business” category.

The specified skilled worker visa was introduced in 2019 as a new status of residence to help address labor shortages in industries such as agriculture, nursing and aviation amongst others.

The SSW program, designed to attract foreign workers in specific sectors where labor shortages have been identified, underwent a significant expansion last year, with the addition of the “automobile and transportation business” category.

This new category encompasses a range of roles, including bus and taxi drivers, as well as delivery truck drivers.

Bus, taxi and delivery truck drivers can all now qualify for the specified skilled worker residence status

The exam to qualify for this new status was only introduced in December 2024 and Iyus, who first arrived in Japan in 2013 as a language student before going on to work for a travel agency, was officially the first person to pass the exam.

After gaining industry experience at the travel agency, Iyus joined Nikko Kanko, a sightseeing subsidiary of the Ryobi Group, in June 2024, with the ambitious goal of becoming a professional driver.

After joining the company, he obtained his Class 2 large vehicle license in August 2024.

He then went on to pass his Japanese NAT-TEST 3Q, equivalent to an N3 Japanese-Language Proficiency Test, with Japanese language skills being a key requirement for the SSW (i) classification.

Iyus will soon be taking to the roads in his new role as tour bus driver

Having achieved his goals in a relatively short time, Iyus expressed his joy at his new role, before stating his goals for the future: “Becoming a professional driver is a dream come true. In the long term, I would like to start a travel and tourism business for Indonesians who come to Japan.”

Iyus is scheduled to commence his driving duties with Nikko Bus in Tokyo at the beginning of the new fiscal year in April.

A press conference was held to celebrate Iyus’ success

With Iyus’ success giving hope to foreigners looking to take up driving based work in Japan, bosses at Nikko Bus were questioned as to whether they would specifically target employ foreign nationals going forward, responding:

“Rather than focusing on specifically recruiting foreigners, we will continue to recruit people regardless of nationality as long as they meet the Ryobi Group’s crew recruitment standards, sympathize with the Ryobi Group’s philosophy, and can provide the level of service that the company requires.”

Nikko Bus will continue to employ drivers based on ability, to ensure the safety of customers

This confirms that the approach of Nikko Bus, as well as many employers across Japan, is to recruit based on ability rather than nationality, meaning that both Japanese citizens and foreign nationals have the same opportunities when it comes to being hired.

Source: PR Times