“Japan’s Foreign Worker Program Is Ripe for Reform”

In an interim report released in May 2023, the Japanese government’s expert panel on foreign worker integration recommended abolishing the Technical Intern Training Program. In its place, the panel proposed a new system focused on securing an adequate labor force for Japan while also contributing to international human resource development…

…these trainees are widely used to fill labor shortages in industries such as construction and manufacturing in various regions in Japan, rather than being provided with training opportunities.

While the trainees are subject to Japanese labor laws and are supposed to receive equal compensation with their Japanese counterparts, the reality is that reports of unpaid overtime and low wages are not uncommon. Trainees cannot change their jobs in the event of poor working conditions due to the program nominally being a training program rather than a work or immigration program.

This disconnect between the program’s goals and how it is implemented is exacerbated and exploited by foreign brokers…

…as long as trainees are accepted under the false premise that human resource development is the main purpose, true reform will be difficult…