Law for treatment of foreign trainees enforced in Japan

November 1, 2017

TOKYO- A law to improve the treatment of foreign trainees under Japan's technical training program was put into effect on Wednesday.

The reality of the treatment of foreign trainees is considered a problem, as companies often secure foreign trainees as a means of cheap labor to make up for manpower shortages.

The new law is aimed at making Japanese business organizations and companies thoroughly understand that the purpose of the trainee acceptance is helping developing countries' human resources cultivation.

Specifically, organizations such as chambers of commerce and industry and agricultural cooperatives are newly required to obtain the government's permission for acting as management bodies for vocational training of foreigners.

Companies that will actually teach jobs must submit training programs for certification by the Organization for Technical Intern Training, a newly created supervisory authority, also according to the law.

The Justice Ministry said that as of Wednesday it had granted permission to 292 management organizations, including five that will receive care staff trainees for the first time in the country.

The supervisory body will conduct regular on-site inspections of the management organizations and trainer companies, including surprise workplace visits and interviews with trainees.

If companies are found to have violated their certified training plans, their accreditations will be canceled and business suspension orders will be slapped.

For heinous cases, such as forcing trainees to work using physical abuse and assault, the companies will face criminal punishment, such as imprisonment and fines.

On the other hand, management bodies with good evaluations will be allowed to extend the maximum training period from the current three years to five and invite more trainees.

The technical training program faces many problems, including illegally low wages and long work hours.

In 2016, 239 organizations and companies were stripped of their status to accept trainees for unfair practices such as not paying wages, according to the ministry. Jiji Press