Passengers are invariably surprised when they discover the taxi they hailed in Tokyo is not driven by a Japanese, so much so that they usually first ask "Where are you from?" rather than state their destination.

The taxi driver is Millet Martial Claude Marcel, 47.

After explaining that he is from France, Marcel says his usual patter goes like this: "There are some things I am still unfamiliar about. If there is no problem with you, I would like to use the car navigation system."

Having begun working as a taxi driver only about three months ago, Marcel is now accustomed to being asked almost daily about his country of origin.

Under a new visa status program for foreign workers that took effect from April, as many as 300,000 foreign nationals are expected to flock to Japan to work in 14 designated fields.

According to the labor ministry, there were about 1.46 million foreign workers in Japan as of last October, a threefold increase over a decade ago. About one-third of them are in Tokyo.

Marcel married a Japanese woman in 2005 whom he met during a trip to Japan. They moved to Yamagata Prefecture where his wife's family lived. They had three children and Marcel lived in Japan on a spouse visa. He registered at a personnel dispatch company in Yonezawa and did factory work. But he had difficulty making ends meet because he only made about 110,000 yen ($1,020) a month.

He divorced his wife in 2017 and moved to Tokyo, where he felt he could better use his language skills.

He learned that taxI operator Hinomaru Kotsu Co. was hiring foreigners. He applied for a job around last September after moving to the Higashi-Kanda district.

It took him about six months to pass the test for a taxi driver's license as well as completing in-house training.

He recalled the difficulty he faced trying to distinguish various road signs in Japan.

But compared to his Yamagata days, his monthly salary doubled.

Hinomaru Kotsu has been actively hiring foreign drivers for the past two years. It even set up an English website for prospective hires.

Given the sharp increase in foreign tourists, the company reckons there is a strong demand for foreign drivers.

It now has 38 foreign drivers from 22 nations on its books. The company gets between 50 and 60 applications every month. Those with adequate Japanese conversational skills are hired.

Training the foreign drivers is costly. While Japanese may take on average about two months to acquire the needed license and complete in-house training, it can take between three and six months for a foreign driver.

Kazumi Otsu, 55, the company section chief in charge of hiring foreign nationals, said, "By teaching them diligently, their Japanese speaking ability as well as how they handle passengers will improve. They help to supplement the shortage of drivers. With the increase in foreign tourists ahead of the Tokyo Olympics, we want to hire about 100 foreigners so we can handle a wide range of languages."

The company has also increased the number of taxis that are chartered for sightseeing purposes. More foreign tourists make reservations for such taxis and ask for drivers who speak their language.

About his work, Marcel said, "There are many kind Japanese so I enjoy my work."

But he admitted that it was difficult for him to find the taxi driver job.

"If all I had was Japanese language ability, the only kind of work available would have been unskilled labor," he said. "That would have meant low wages. I hope more local governments will provide support programs to allow us to obtain various licenses and certifications."

While he is encouraged by the growing number of foreign nationals working in Japan, Marcel also has concerns about his future, especially since he is from France, which has long allowed in many immigrants.

He cited the language barrier and economic disparity in his native land that has forced many people unable to find jobs to become homeless.

"If more immigrants are allowed into Japan, I don't know what will happen to me," he said. "I will have to continue making greater efforts."