“Towel Manufacturing” Added to Japan’s Technical Intern Training Program — Maximum Stay Limited to 3 Years

On February 6, 2026, Japan’s Immigration Services Agency revised its official document regarding the Technical Intern Training Program and newly added “towel manufacturing (towel sewing)” as an eligible occupation for transition within the program.

The key point of this revision is that towel manufacturing is limited only up to Technical Intern Training Program No. 2. In the document, it is marked as “●△,” which means participants cannot transition to No. 3 status (the additional two-year extension). In other words, the maximum period foreign workers can stay under this program is limited to three years.

With this revision, it has become officially clear that the towel manufacturing industry can utilize the Technical Intern Training Program. However, companies should be careful because they cannot create workforce plans based on a five-year stay.

Going forward, companies will need to focus on training and developing workers within three years while also considering future visa pathways, such as transitioning to the Specified Skilled Worker (Tokutei Ginou) status afterward.

For industries facing ongoing labor shortages, it will become increasingly important not only to accept foreign workers, but also to create long-term career paths for them after the internship period ends.

Although the Technical Intern Training Program only applies to limited occupations, companies can make practical use of the system if they receive official approval. However, obtaining certification is not easy, and proper preparation and understanding of the system are necessary.

This latest revision expands the available options for accepting foreign workers while also highlighting the importance of workforce planning that takes the program’s time limitations into account.

Towel manufacturing is considered relatively simple work and can often provide good income opportunities, so expectations for the industry are growing.