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Cabinet OKs new foreign trainee program to promote longer stays

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Japan's cabinet has approved bills to reform the controversial foreign trainee program as the aging country seeks to encourage foreign workers to stay longer through a new system focused on developing skills and protecting rights.

The only correct statement from that sentence is Japan's aging workforce.

That program already exist from 1993, what happened now just changing names with few tweaks. Is never about developing skill for trainee, in fact before coming to Japan those "trainee" already work in similar field. Why being called trainee? Is a way to disguise cheap labor, since they are in training so Japan Inc can pay cheaper than normal worker, below Japan's minimum wage.

https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2022/07/c5e9af8e7f16-focus-abuse-of-foreign-trainees-continues-under-technical-internship-program.html

https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20220601/p2a/00m/0na/017000c

-7 ( +3 / -10 )

The planned legal revision also includes revoking permanent residency status from foreigners if they do not pay taxes or social insurance premiums.

Good Kyodo article leaving that stinger til the end.

This has been de facto at Immigration but have to rope in those foreigners who were skipping the residence taxes and pension payments from these low wage jobs and install some formal procedures.

Met a few students/trainees who had choices between rent/food or these taxes at the end of the month.

5 ( +6 / -1 )

Great, now the ol "Yo-nige" is legal...goodluck trying to keep staff in one place now.

-5 ( +1 / -6 )

Looking at the breakdown of society in the Europe and America, maybe Japan has got their strict immigration controls right.

-6 ( +2 / -8 )

Looking at the breakdown of society in the Europe and America, maybe Japan has got their strict immigration controls right.

Except if Japan willing to do that, it will hit several problem, who will really pay pension? who really pay local tax, those old people that depend on pension money?

https://eastasiaforum.org/2012/06/21/japans-aging-population-and-public-deficits/

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Who will take care those old people, Japan need take cheap nurse and care giver.

https://japantoday.com/category/features/kuchikomi/ex-filipino-hostesses-become-caregivers

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In fact Japan has no plan for any of that, just last year it realizes that Japan has driver shortage that can disrupt Japan economy.

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2023/09/14/japan/society/taxi-truck-drivers-visa/

https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20230912/p2a/00m/0bu/019000c

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So there's no way Japan can make immigration stricter.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

Necessity is the root of all change. All will be well as long as everyone gets the same pay for the same work. Any ideas that creating or enabling an official underclass of foreign laborers with lower pay and harsher conditions to their national counterparts will ( and should ) be a recipe for trouble. We have a group ( gang? ) of foreigners here in Fukui , mainly from the original migrant workers countries from South America, that call themselves the KKK. Nothing to do with the American version, this stands for Kitanai, Kiken, and Kitsui. The only type of work they think they ever get. Dirty, Dangerous and Harsh. It has led to some pretty bad anti social behavior but their claims of 2nd class citizenship are very real.

Time to get off the ‘exceptionalism’ mindset of the past , bring in these workers with a fair go for all mindset, and treat them with respect.

By the very nature of the industries involved it may be a hard shift, but the central and local governments have to lead the way to ensure conditions are met, and definitely not being complicit in some of the abuse and bad behavior from black companies that we have seen in the past.

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

OK, but make a better selection of foreign trainees..

-4 ( +1 / -5 )

Should discriminate between letting in people from friendly countries and those from hostile states. This is critical in ensuring a healthy development of Japanese society going forward.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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