Shiyao Zhong, CEO of Linc Inc., Publishes First Book 'Japan: The Unchosen Country' via Gentosha

Linc Inc. (Headquarters: Tokyo, CEO: Shiyao Zhong), operator of the foreign talent recruitment platform 'GlobalHub', announced that its CEO, Shiyao Zhong, published his first book, 'Japan: The Unchosen Country - 5 Proposals to Attract Foreign Talent', via Gentosha on Monday, March 2, 2026.

## Background of Publication: The Era Where Just 'Hiring' Is No Longer Enough

In 2025, a halt on new intakes under the Specified Skilled Worker visa for the food service industry was decided. The era of securing foreign talent purely by 'numbers' is over, and we have entered an era where corporate competitiveness depends on how well companies can retain and empower them.

At the same time, Japan's real wages have remained at only 1.03 times over the last 30 years. Coupled with the weak yen, the income foreign workers can remit in their home currency has significantly decreased. Japan, once the largest employment destination for Vietnamese workers, was overtaken by Taiwan in 2022. For foreign talent, Japan is no longer a 'chosen country'.

'Japan being popular is a story from the distant past'—these were the exact words spoken directly to the author, Zhong, by a foreign user utilizing our service. That shock became the catalyst for writing this book.

## Contents of the Book: '5 Proposals' Across 6 Chapters

This book consists of 6 chapters and presents a structural prescription for Japan to once again become a 'chosen country' by foreign talent.

- Chapter 1: The Arrival of an Unprecedented Era of Labor Shortages: Describes the reality on the ground where bankruptcies due to labor shortages hit record highs, proving industries cannot survive without foreigners. It shows that the era of debating 'whether to accept foreign talent' is already over.

- Chapter 2: Simply Expanding Quotas Won't Attract People: Explains the reality and limitations of the policy expanding the Specified Skilled Worker visa to 16 fields and a quota of 820,000. It analyzes the current situation where complex immigration procedures act as a barrier to hiring, causing Japan to lag significantly in institutional competition with Taiwan and Singapore.

- Chapter 3: Mismatches Between Companies and Foreign Talent Prevent Retention: Proposes moving away from intuition-based hiring assessments toward 'scientific evaluation metrics' using data and AI-driven scoring. While introducing case studies from the matching system actually operated by the author (including an interview with INGS Co., Ltd.), it presents fundamental solutions to eliminate hiring mismatches.

- Chapter 4: Foreign Residents Face Many Difficulties: Points out the urgent need to improve Japan not just as a 'place to work' but as a 'place to live', covering housing, healthcare, education, and credit cards. It also mentions the limitations of credit screening for foreigners and the potential for improvement using personal data accumulated on the platform.

- Chapter 5: Career Paths Considering the Future of International Students and Specified Skilled Workers: Emphasizes the importance of nurturing foreign talent not as a 'temporary supplement' but as 'long-term partners supporting Japanese society' through support for transitioning to Specified Skilled Worker No. 2 and utilizing former international students.

- Chapter 6: Transforming into a 'Chosen Country' for Sustainable Growth: Presents concrete proposals for drastically simplifying the immigration system, AIizing information dissemination for foreigners, and realizing a multicultural coexistence society united by the public and private sectors.