Foreign workers are becoming indispensable for Kagoshima's shrinking economy, with the prefecture's foreign labor force reaching a record 16,562 as of October 2025, about 2% of its 780,000 workers. In Ibusuki, skilled trainees help run the traditional dried bonito industry, where many tasks require delicate manual work, and managers fear the sector could stall without them. As Japan plans to replace the current program with a new 'training and employment' framework by 2027, concerns about wage leakage to urban centers and retention persist, while local officials urge coexistence policies, language support, and better information to foster mutual understanding rather than exclusion.