2,900 foreign workers who had been working in a Sharp factory in Mie prefecture, Japan, have been fired, according to a labour union representing the workers. The workers were employed by third tier suppliers. A representative of one supplier stated to a newspaper that Sharp had reduced orders to the point where there was no choice. It does not appear that any Japanese nationals were fired. A representative of Sharp refused to comment, stating that the fired workers were not Sharp employees. 

The government has recently rammed a bill through the lower house that would expand dramatically the country’s intake of foreign labour. Concerns remain high that foreign workers will be subject to exploitation, like many of the workers in the country as ‘trainees’ under the Technical Trainee Internship Programme.