"来日ベトナム人の犯罪誘発する「ボドイ」　失踪技能実習生が頼るFBコミュニティーの闇," 6 August 2025

[Unofficial description by Business & Human Rights Resource Centre]

Among foreign nationals arrested last year for criminal offenses under the Penal Code in Japan, Vietnamese nationals accounted for the largest group by nationality. Social media platforms, where compatriots support each other in their lives abroad, have become a hotbed for the Vietnamese version of “black market part-time jobs,” contributing to some of the crimes. In the battery theft case, it was revealed that a Vietnamese-language Facebook community had been used as a tool for crime.

Vietnamese nationals made up about half of all foreign technical intern trainees in Japan as of the end of last year. However, many Vietnamese trainees also go missing. One reason behind this is that manpower brokers in Vietnam tend to exaggerate labour conditions when communicating with both the accepting companies in Japan and the trainees themselves, leading to a mismatch in expectations. As a result, some trainees, struggling to make ends meet, end up becoming involved in crimes they find through social media as a way to survive.

Associate Professor Yoshihisa Saito points out that “the inability to change jobs under the system is a major problem.” He adds, “To solve this issue, the government may need to directly oversee recruitment agencies and regulation.”