Inspectors link Cambodian trainee's depression to workplace abuse
Labor standard inspectors have determined that a Cambodian man working under a government trainee program suffered depression after he was verbally and physically abused by his Japanese co-workers, a union that helped with the 34-year-old's case said Tuesday. While working as a plumber for a ...
Record 4,004 firms with trainees from abroad found to have violated labor laws in 2016
A record number of employers accepting trainees from abroad under the nation's Technical Intern Training Program violated labor laws in 2016, the labor ministry said Wednesday. The number of factories, offices and other businesses nationwide where violations were found came to 4,004, the highest level ...
Abuse of foreign trainees spiked in 2016: Immigration Bureau
Immigration officials said Wednesday that 383 acts of fraud were committed against foreign trainees in 2016, a record high since the intern training program was launched in 2010.
Japan launches entity to oversee foreign trainee working conditions
Workplaces that hire foreigners under a government-sponsored trainee program are set to come under greater scrutiny following the launch of a new oversight body aimed at stamping out human rights abuses. The body, set up on Wednesday in line with a law enacted in November, ...
Skilled foreign workers to be employed by farms in special zones
The government will allow skilled non-Japanese to work in the agricultural sector in special economic zones to alleviate the farming labor shortage. "We have decided to add the employment of foreign workers in the agricultural sector ... to the menu for strategic special zones," Prime ...
The government moves to improve supervision of firms that accept workers from abroad amid widespread abuse.
Record 5,803 foreign trainees went missing in Japan last year
Observers say this is another sign that the technical intern program — long criticized by rights groups at home and abroad as akin to slavery — is seriously flawed.
The government shouldn't use the trouble-plagued foreign trainee program to fill manpower shortages in the nursing care sector.
Lower House committee passes bill to shake up Japan's foreign trainee program
The bill is intended to shake up a state-sponsored foreign traineeship program slammed by critics as akin to modern slavery.
2014 death of overworked Filipino trainee recognized as 'karoshi' by labor ministry
The 27-year-old man died just three months before he was to return home. Thanks to the ruling, his family is now eligible for government compensation.
Forced labor allegations and abuses continue to dog Japan's foreign trainee program
Tang Xili came to Japan in 2013, hoping to earn enough in three years to build a new home for her daughter. Instead, she ended up in a labor union shelter after leaving an employer she says owes her about ¥3.5 million in unpaid ...
Foreign nurses, caregivers to get special visa status
The Cabinet approves the creation of a new visa category for foreign nurses and caregivers to help reduce the labor shortage in the industry.
