About 70 percent of 2,870 foreign technical intern trainees who deserted workplaces where they received professional training cited low wages as the reason, according to a Justice Ministry survey.
More than half of respondents said they received monthly wages of 100,000 yen (about 815 dollars) or less from their workplaces.
This is the first time the results of the ministry's survey on foreign technical intern trainees who fled their trainee posts were made public.
The survey results bring to the fore that technical intern trainees -- in a program being carried out under the banner of Japan's international contributions -- are being used as "cheap labor force," leading to their fleeing posts.
The technical intern trainees are foreign nationals who learn professional skills while working in Japan. They are allowed to stay in Japan for up to five years to acquire skills that can be used for the development of their home countries. The technical intern training program targets 77 job categories, including agriculture and construction. As of the end of December last year, there were about 270,000 trainees in Japan.
The survey results were presented at an unofficial board meeting of the Judicial Affairs Committee of the House of Representatives on Friday.
The number of trainees who fled their posts was 7,089 in 2017, and 4,279 in the first half of 2018. The survey mainly targeted trainees who went missing by December last year and were then charged with violating the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Law. The highest number, 1,537, came from China, followed by 1,085 from Vietnam.
The most common reason for breaking off contact with trainee posts was "low wages," with 1,929 respondents citing it, or 67.2 percent. Among them, 22 said they received "less than minimum wage." Multiple answers were allowed.
Those who replied "they wanted to work after the program ended" were the second highest at 510, or 17.8 percent, followed by those who cited "strict instruction" at 362, or 12.6 percent.
Asked about monthly wages at their workplaces, 1,627, or 56.7 percent, said they received 100,000 yen or less, and 1,037, or 36.1 percent, said they received from 100,000 yen to 150,000 yen. Those who answered 150,000 yen or less accounted for 92.8 percent.
Trainees who paid organizations in their home countries more than 1 million yen to send them to Japan totaled 1,393, or 48.5 percent. Including those who paid less than 1 million yen to these organizations, 2,552, or 88.9 percent, borrowed money from their relatives or others for the expense.
The number of trainees who worked at construction sites, factories and other workplaces after deserting trainee posts was 2,634, or 91.8 percent. They likely fled to seek higher wages, working illegally after struggling to pay their debts with low wages.
Govt seeks equal pay with Japanese
The government has submitted to the current extraordinary Diet session a bill to revise the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Law with the aim of expanding the acceptance of foreign workers in Japan.
The pillar of the bill is to create a new residence status for those with specific skills in business fields including simple labor. The government is considering introducing the new residence status in 14 business fields, such as agriculture and construction, from April next year.
The government is expected to accept up to 345,150 foreign nationals into Japan in five years. However, some ruling Liberal Democratic Party members are concerned that the new residence status will lead to an increase in the number of foreigners who go missing or overstay their visas.
The government therefore intends to ask employers to pay foreigners who qualify for the new residence status the same or higher wages as Japanese workers.
Under the technical intern training program, it is difficult for trainees to change workplaces despite poor working conditions. But the government intends to allow foreign workers who qualify for the new status to switch workplaces within the same field of business.
Foreign technical intern trainees already work in 12 of the 14 fields envisaged to accept foreign workers, and the training program will continue to exist even after the new residence status for those with specific skills is introduced.
For that reason, the government expects about half of the foreign nationals who will be awarded the new status will be trainees who have completed the technical intern training program.
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
.png?w=600)
