In establishing a new system to expand the acceptance of foreign workers, it is imperative to hold discussions on problems, including those with the existing technical intern training system.
Deliberations on a bill to revise the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Law have effectively started at the House of Representatives' Judicial Affairs Committee. The revision bill would establish a new residence status and open the way for accepting even unskilled laborers, but only in industries for which manpower shortages are serious. This represents a shift from its conventional policy, so the government should strive to explain the planned system carefully.
It should be noted that the new system will be positioned as an extension of the current system for accepting foreign technical intern trainees.
After undergoing at least three years of training, interns will be able to obtain a Grade-1 certificate for specific skills, which is a new qualification. The Justice Ministry estimates that the number of foreigners evolving from technical intern trainees to those with Grade-1 certificates will amount to about 120,000 to 150,000 in five years, accounting for about 45 percent of the total Grade-1 certificate holders.
Grade-1 certificate holders would be allowed to stay in Japan for up to five years. The system paves the way for foreigners who adapt to Japanese society after going through a period of working as technical intern trainees to work longer in Japan. Hence the new system is of no small significance.
How can technical training be related to the new acceptance system for foreigners? How should a mechanism in which foreign workers transfer smoothly to the new system be created? The government needs to accelerate the compilation of clear rules.
Ensure fair treatment
The technical intern training system started in 1993 for the purpose of promoting the transfer of technical know-how to developing countries. Currently, about 258,000 foreigners are in Japan as technical intern trainees. There is no denying that they are employed as cheap labor at construction sites, on farms or in other areas.
About 7,000 technical interns fled their workplaces in 2017, according to the Justice Ministry. Many of them cited "low wages" as a reason for their action. There is criticism that malicious agents have intervened and exploited foreign interns. It is imperative to investigate problematic points and work out corrective measures.
Reflecting on the past technical intern training system, the government should have thorough control of companies that will accept foreign workers under the new system.
The bill would make it mandatory for firms that accept foreign workers to set the wages of foreign workers at least as high as those of Japanese employees. It will be necessary to enroll foreign workers in health insurance and pension systems. Moreover, ensuring housing facilities and providing support for Japanese language learning will also be called for.
To see the new system take root, it is indispensable to ensure fair treatment and secure stable living for foreign workers.
Errors have been found in the results of a survey of foreign interns who fled their workplaces. The results had been submitted by the Justice Ministry to opposition parties. The ministry said that there were mistakes in compiled data on their reasons for fleeing.
The Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan has submitted a dismissal motion against the chair of the lower house's Judicial Affairs Committee, arguing that the ruling parties were trying to push ahead with deliberations despite the errors found in the compiled data. It cannot be helped that the major opposition party's action is viewed as an attempt to delay the deliberations. A responsible opposition should launch a debate on the content of the bill.
(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Nov. 23, 2018)
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