The Japan government plans to relax immigration rules to allow ski schools to hire more foreign ski instructors.
It is a move aimed at arresting the slide in popularity of skiing in Japan.
A report by the Japan Tourism Agency last year highlighted the need to attract more skiers from overseas due to a declining birthrate and aging population at home.
The Justice Ministry said it may be approved by this summer.
Instructors holding the an industry recognisedl qualification from the Switzerland-based International Ski Instructors Association would be eligible for resident status, a ministry source said.
The ordnance would also help to end the illegal hiring of foreign instructors.
A JTA questionnaire sent to ski schools throughout Japan last year found more than half were keen to employ instructors with foreign language skills.
The number of people skiing and snowboarding in Japan fell from a high of 18 million in 1998 to 7.7 million in 2013.
