KUALA LUMPUR - Executives from Japan’s top convenience store chains said the country is becoming increasingly reliant on foreign workers, during a New Year reception hosted by the nation’s three major business federations in Tokyo on January 6.

According to the Mainichi Shimbun, the number of foreign part-time employees working at the three chains reached a combined total of 110,000 in 2025 for the first time, underscoring their critical role in store operations. 

Company figures show that Seven-Eleven employed about 52,000, Lawson 31,000, and FamilyMart 27,000 foreign workers.

Most foreign employees are international students permitted to work up to 28 hours per week under Japan’s permission to engage in activities other than those permitted by the system.

As the government moves to tighten foreign resident screening and economic activity regulations, industry leaders expressed concern that policies could drift toward exclusion rather than coexistence.

Chairman of Seven & i Holdings, Junro Ito said foreign workers should not be treated as cheap labour but as individuals balancing work with education in Japan.

“It would be frightening if policies take on an exclusionary tone. Protecting people who are working without causing problems is essential,” Ito said.

Lawson President, Sadanobu Takemasu warned that in an era of global labour shortages, Japan risks losing its appeal as a destination for workers.

“If Japan is not chosen as a country to work in, our convenient lifestyle, and even the convenience store business itself, will not be sustainable,” he said.

In some convenience stores, foreign workers account for more than 80% of staff.

According to Takematsu, Lawson aims to improve productivity through Artificial Intelligence, digitalisation, and robotics, while also creating working conditions that make Japan attractive to foreign workers.

FamilyMart President, Kensuke Hosomi noted that discussions on foreign-worker regulations should distinguish between overarching policy goals and on-the-ground realities.

“Debate should separate the general framework from specific cases. Continuing to impose excessive restrictions is not the right direction,” Hosomi said. 

He also called for a review of Japan’s Specified Skilled Worker visa system, which currently does not include convenience store jobs, arguing that reform is necessary to address labour shortages.

As Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s administration repeatedly stresses stricter foreign-resident controls, Japan faces intensifying international competition for labour, a challenge shared by many countries.

With the yen remaining weak and Japan’s wage competitiveness eroding, the question remains whether a country increasingly marked by exclusionary rhetoric can continue to be chosen as a place to work.