Osaka firm accused of helping Vietnamese work illegally

Her return flight to Vietnam was canceled due to the virus outbreak and she used up her money.

Seems they did not enter illegally, but were stranded without recourse.

In unprecedented times, unprecedented measures.

I am against illegal work, naturally, however we must support these people who left their families for a better life.

They could be stealing etc, but instead chose to still work - illegally due to bureaucracies.

Japan needs these people due to ageing population, for this reason long term is a win win for both sides.

Acknowledge, include and support these thousands of people stranded here with no better home and opportunities waiting for them in their country.

People cannot chose the country they were born at, but should be free to adopt a new home, should the home country not provide the opportunities they always dreamed about.

That is the beauty of globalisation.

As long as these people are well behaved guests, why not welcome them accordingly and facilitate working rights?

Let them work. Does the police hope for these available wok force to starve and living on the streets?

The police have already taken action against the four Vietnamese who worked at the company for engaging in activities other than those permitted under their visa.

Keeping them here, unable to return, work, collect unemployment or obtain relief from the government.

What a Kafkaesque hell. Arrest the bureaucrats and politicians.

these are difficult times, no guilt if they can prove their flights were cancelled.

go catch some swindlers in those Kabukicho-like areas instead.

Poor people, they were just trying to get by.

Unfortunately they also aren’t getting support at least to get home.

There were several repatriation flights to Vietnam in the months after her visa would have expired. Seems likely that it was always her plan to overstay and work illegally.

They didn't come to Japan illegally (information garnered from the article) but were kept from returning when flights to and from Japan were cancelled. But if they had to pay for their return flight (again), maybe they didn't have the money.

During the confusing early pandemic times (March April May) and especially when Vietnam had a very severe lockdown while Japan dithered, mistakes were made.

I hope the authorities don't do everything by the rule book and consider the situation. I also don't hold out much hope from them not doing that (much easier to follow the rules than actually think).

Less than a thousand yen an hour?

It seems they were on a the road to riches eh?

What a hard law in Japan! Flexibility please!

Just give them an extension to stay already (due to the special pandemic situation) and permission to work legally. The problem solved.

@Albert, you cannot convert a 30-day tourist visa into a working visa. A working visa has to be secured outside of Japan through a Japanese embassy or consulate.

@borscht

They didn't come to Japan illegally (information garnered from the article) 

Not come, but staying illegality -- "she came to Japan in March last year on a temporary visitor's visa."

= tourist.

@iampersonal

Vietnam is one of the poorest nations on earth and is the cheapest.

No it isn't.

Worldbank: "Vietnam’s development over the past 30 years has been remarkable. Economic and political reforms under Đổi Mới, launched in 1986, have spurred rapid economic growth, transforming what was then one of the world’s poorest nations into a lower middle-income country."

https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/vietnam/overview

@theperson, average salary of $126...per month?

Poor people, they were just trying to get by.

They come from the world's fastest growing economy, (which has also done the world's best job at fighting the coronavirus), with a jobless rate of around 2%. They came to Japan illegally because they wanted to make more money than they could at home.

poor people, the government should at least let them work and stay for the time being or in the very least arrange a return flight back to Vietnam. Being stranded in a country even if it's by your mistake, should not be treated as a crime. Imagine the situation was flipped and Japanese were found illegally working in other more advanced countries, how do you think would they be treated?

JeffLee

Vietnam is one of the poorest nations on earth and is the cheapest.

I’m Japanese and so I can say I don’t mind them here, since Japan needs them.

You could try some empathy soup while your at it too

I came to Japan in a tourist visa and got two well paying jobs in a week of being here.

I have never needed to have the Japanese state bankroll me and I have paid many millions of yen in tax over the time aí have been here.

Immigrants need encouragement not discouragement in Japan...

 Look at America. They're not here to take part, they're here to take over.

“They” = 98.5% of the population which is nothing more nothing less than immigrants, or second/third generation of immigrants.

As Native Americans, Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiians, the real natives, only account for 1.5% of the population.

Ironically, the author of this comment is most likely an immigrant here in Japan.

Immigration is part of the new normal. Embrace it, it has benefits for everyone.

**The sales branch head denied the charges and was quoted by the police as saying he had "left the visas up to the president." **Sales branch head is now jobless! You're fired

This is what happens when the people who control your society have little or no awareness of how dire Japan’s demographic decline is, and how imperative the need to welcome immigrants like these Vietnamese, willing to work hard and put down roots. In lieu of the absence of an orderly immigration policy, we end up with the very poor substitute ad hoc one we currently have.

Whatever with ur links Jeff

Its a third world nation, the average salary there per person was $126 in 2018.

If you haven’t lived in third world countries or know what ur talking about, sure ask google and form an opinion.

But as a foreigner here you also don’t get to bash others who come to work, just as you did.

I'm laughing about most comments.

They had a tourist visa and that means no work allowed. They didn't had a possibility to return duo corona but they could ask friends and family to support.

Secondly they could change their visa to working visa since they had someone who is willing to hire them. Maybe having some documents had to be applied but it is not impossible.

Just another action which was not considered well.

What a Kafkaesque hell.

Which can happen when you illegally enter a country (as a tourist but for the sole purpose of working). People who do that need to realize that what they are doing is not only illegal but highly risky.

People cannot chose the country they were born at, but should be free to adopt a new home, should the home country not provide the opportunities they always dreamed about.

That is the beauty of globalisation.

The problem with this is that another people does all the hard work, lays all the ground work, and then a bunch of johnny-come-latelies show up, get jobs, and then act like they run the place. Look at America. They're not here to take part, they're here to take over.

Put them in the immigration prison and him in the Japanese prison.

both sides have known about the pandemic and the Vietnamese could of returned home.

they are exploiting japan while many many Japanese can’t work, and he is exploiting them because they are desperate to earn $80 a day here compared to $4 a day in Vietnam.