Japan revises foreign trainee rules to allow job transfers over abuse

Under the program, which prohibits trainees from switching jobs 

Japan finally let those trainee to change job after started that program in 1993, only need decades to realize that company do abuse worker, that also includes foreign trainees.

https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2024/09/883670e9cc25-japan-to-address-issue-of-foreign-trainees-quitting-in-record-numbers.html

Japan revised its guidelines for the foreign trainee program on Friday, permitting trainees who experience harassment and abuse to change workplaces as it seeks to address the issue of trainees quitting without notice over poor working conditions.

Such innovation! Allowing workers undergoing harassment and wage theft to change jobs!

The government will replace the program with a new system as early as 2027 that will permit job transfers after one or two years of employment at one workplace.

If you are being harassed or a company is stealing your wages, please just wait for a couple of years.

The quote has never been more true: “Slavery was never abolished, it was only extended to include all the colors.”

Complete wage slavery.

sakurasuki and dagon- I agree with both of you 100%.

However, this is a positive change, and I'll gladly take whatever positive changes I can see, no matter how small. Tiny light in the tunnel.

Sadly how are they able to find a job out side their area as all the farmers are friends and 2ndly why aren’t the farmers who abuse arrested and prosecuted and 3rd why isn’t insurance paying out large sums to the victims like when an employee dies from over work.

The whole programme needs to be abandoned. To call exploited workers "trainees" is just a condescending colonial way to disguise blatant exploitation as some kind of sharing of wisdom. The fact that enabling workets to change jobs is treated as some kind of progressive, benevolent step just shows how cruel the system is to beging with.

But who am I fooling, the Japanese government treats its own citizens like disposable goods. It won't create good conditions for people with other nationalities, whom it refuses to call immigrants to begin with.

The thing is that this whole "trainee" program is a scam meant to bring very cheap labor from countries such as Vietnam, Phillipines, Cambodia,etc, with fake promises and hopes, just to be put 10-20 in one single apartment, passports taken, and payed less than minimum wedge minus the money of the recruiter. Not to mention the constant abuses and rampant racism faced on their working place.

So in the end is no wonder that the "trainees" turn to criminality in order to survive.

Just like in Dubai or Emirates states, the masked slavery in Japan is doing good and well, under the total ignorance of those Japanese politicians payed by those companies, for their political campaign.

DanteKH

101%agree

The whole programme needs to be abandoned. To call exploited workers "trainees" is just a condescending colonial way to disguise blatant exploitation as some kind of sharing of wisdom. 

Change the "trainee visa" to a "guest worker" visa. This scheme was used pretty successfully in West Germany as they rebuilt the nation after the war. Turks, Italians, Yugoslavs and others were enlisted.

Just as many of these guest workers ultimately settled in Germany, Japan could allow a quota of those guest workers to remain on 3 year residency/workers visas after the 5 year period - if they satisfy various conditions - no criminal record, some language proficiency etc. Extra points for having children, having required work skills for Japa, volunteering history etc.

@Fighto!

I completely agree with what you say.

However, the approach to immigration by the government and, largely, the public is so stubbornly exclusive here that it's hard to see it implemented. Suggesting people born elsewhere and ethnically different could actively participate in society and, the horror, have children here that would become Japanese is political self-destruction.

Case in point, last year the citizens of Kumamoto voted against even referring to foreign nationals as 市民, and city representative had to make a statement to assure the public that word doesn't mean they'd be able to vote. If only referring to people as "citizens of a city" causes such a backlash, no popular political party will take it upon themselves to encourage integration.

They need to abolish this "program". It's just a ruse to exploit people into becoming cheap labour and fall victim to Indentured servitude. It's appalling this "program" has gone on as long as it has considering all the horror stories revolving around it.