Law to improve foreign trainees' work environment to take effect in Nov

"The law, which provides for penalties if employers abuse foreign trainees’ human rights, was crafted in response to reports of harsh working conditions under the Technical Intern Training Program, including illegally long work hours and nonpayment of wages."

It's been well documented that the 'trainee program' is just a disguise for labor trafficking, something Japan is still master at. They even allow the yaks to do it to their own people. But WHY do they need to wait until November to enact law that protects human rights? Anyway, there will be the usual vagaries and loopholes, no doubt.

Wile it may be a good step into the right direction. It is too little and too late for too many.

Who is going to oversee the overseers? I have little faith in the government's ability to keep an eye on things to ensure rules or laws are followed. Too many things that happen here, are AFTER the fact.

Window dressing!. Expats in Japan get dumped on. Once in a while there is an Atsugi Jason, Window dressing for the world, but mostly crap work for crap pay. Unless you teach English and have no ambition above that!!! And the excuse is well expats do not speak read and write Japanese! I know of at least 33 people that speak, read and write better Japanese than native Japanese. These people also have mad education (MA, PHD) and they can't get hired in a coffee shop.

These people also have mad education (MA, PHD) and they can't get hired in a coffee shop.

Part of the problem is the expectations that people with those credentials have here in Japan. They bring with them the belief that those credentials should give them a higher wage, but the Japanese companies that want to hire them, (possibly) don't see it the same way, and want them to start at the same level of compensation as someone who is of the same age as they are.

The Japanese system of compensation (wages) makes its difficult for those who have credentials and education to get a salary that is equal to their qualifications.

If you want to improve the foreign trainees' work environment, allow them to freely switch jobs. The existence of alternatives is the only thing protecting them, if they have no alternative to their one job, it means they are trapped and easily abused.

Japan always tries to do better and better for its people including foreigners who work in Japan, yet foreigners and especially those white are the ones to complain and cry the most!

seriously? the program has been around for 25 years and you are now going to enact a law in 6 months time to hopefully reduce the amount of abuse of foreign workers.

Japan always tries to do better and better for its people including foreigners who work in Japan, yet foreigners and especially those white are the ones to complain and cry the most!

Tell me more about it. I have worked for 25 years in a one Japanese company throughout my work career after doing undergraduate and graduate studies here in Japan and don't share what you are saying. And FYI language is not a problem.

Agree with most of the above posters. This is a program which is shameful. Its slave labor. They should scrap it.

The law, which provides for penalties if employers abuse foreign trainees’ human rights, was crafted in response to reports of harsh working conditions under the Technical Intern Training Program, including illegally long work hours and nonpayment of wages

I'm willing to bet these penalties are going to be wrist slaps.