Foreign workers in Japan 'exploited as cheap labour’ Many firms reported to be abusing intern scheme to fill jobs shunned by Japanese The article tells the story of a Chinese trainee, Tang Xili, and explains how the internship training programme is used by Japanese companies to find cheap foreign labour to do jobs that they can't get Japanese workers for. Straits Times, 24 Feb 2016.
Migrant workers 'exploited' in Japan There have been widespread reports of exploitation of workers on the Technical Internship Training Programme. The BBC spoke to migrant workers who claim they were overworked and underpaid and found some were making clothes for big, international brands. BBC News, 2019.
The Worst Internship Ever: Japan’s Labor Pains This video reports that many trainees on the Technical Internship Training Programme are underpaid, have huge debts, are forced into a form of indentured servitude (or slavery), and are put illegally into unskilled positions. It includes the stories of some female Chinese interns. Vice News, May 2015.
Arrested Vietnamese in Japan feared forced return if pregnancy found A Vietnamese technical trainee who was arrested Thursday for abandoning her baby's body in western Japan feared her employer would force her to return to her country if her pregnancy was discovered. Kyodo News, 2023
Dirt cheap wages and no doctor: Foreign trainees' dreams dashed in Japan The stories of an Indonesian woman and a Vietnamese man who escaped harsh working conditions on the training programme to live in a shelter in Kobe, and a discussion of some of the problems with the programme. Mainchi Shimbun, 2022.
Special Report: Foreign interns pay the price for Japan's labor shortage This articles looks in depth at the case of three Chinese female interns working at the Kameda company in Hakusan, Western Japan, making clothes for the Burberry label. Reuters, 12 Jun 2014.
Vietnamese find lifeline at temple in Nagoya after losing jobs This article explains the stories of Vietnamese people sheltering at Tokurinji temple in Nagoya. They lost their jobs on the Technical Internship Training Programme and were unable to return home to Vietnam because of corona restrictions on travel and entry to Japan. The article refers to experts who blame the situation on problems with the Technical Internship Training Programme itself. Asahi Shimbun, 11 May 2020.
Foreign detainees let go temporarily amid pandemic have nowhere to go This article which tells the story of a Nepalese asylum seeker in Nagasaki describes the programme for releasing asylum seekers from detention into provisional release and reports on the very difficult conditions that asylum seekers on provisional release face. Japan Times, 25 Dec 2020.
Dumped from dream job and abandoned at the station The story of Nguyen Dinh Thi who lost his position as a technical intern, about the Japan Vietnam Mutual Support Association which helped him and many other trainees in similar situation because of the impact of the pandemic. NHK World, 6 Nov, 2020. See also Foreign technical trainees in Japan face sudden, unexplained repatriation about trainees being forced to return home, NHK World, 27 Jan, 2021.
Japanese companies leave foreign trainees in limbo amid pandemic This piece explains the situation of Trainees who have been forced to resign from their internships because of the pandemic and are not allowed to find internships with other companies. It tells the story of Cao Van Son who came to Japan from Vietnam on a state-sponsored internship program. NHK World, 10 Oct 2020.
Vietnamese trainee in Japan sent back after asking for paid leave A Vietnamese man working in Japan under a foreign trainee program was forced to return home after asking to take time off to get married, according to the man and his support group. Kyodo News, 2018.
Arrested Vietnamese in Japan feared forced return if pregnancy found A Vietnamese technical trainee who was arrested Thursday for abandoning her baby's body in western Japan feared her employer would force her to return to her country if her pregnancy was discovered. Kyodo News, 2023.
Shrinking Japan: Woes of technical trainees spur response from some firms Explains some of the problems with the Technical Internship Training Program and looks at what some companies are doing to improve the situation. It tells the story of Huang Shihu, a Chinese trainee who injured his hand in an accident and now can't use it. Mainichi, 2018.
孤立する技能実習生（1）”奴隷労働”でも「相談先ない」、岐阜縫製のベトナム人女性が相談できない理由 - A story about female technical trainees from Vietnam, isolated in Japan. Yahoo, 6 Feb 2017.
No love for foreign trainees? Backstories about technical trainees in Japan, including how their personal freedom is limited. NHK World, 27 Mar 2019.
Training Programs or Sweatshops? From across Asia, about 190,000 migrant trainees toil in Japanese factories and farms. Allegations of labor abuses against these workers are widespread. New York Times, Jul 2010. See also this article on the same story, Japan Training Program Is Said to Exploit Workers, New York Times, 20 Jul 2010.
Japan looks to scrap foreign trainee program for new system This article discusses a plan to replace the current programme with a new scheme and discusses what kind of approach is needed to deal with the problems in the programme now. Kyodo News, 2023.
Editorial: Human rights must be top priority as Japan moves to remake foreign intern system This editorial argues that the Technical Internship Training Programme should be ended and warns about replacing it with a new programme that continues to emphasize training rather than providing better conditions for migrant workers. It explains some of the main problems with the current programme and what action needs to be taken on those. Mainichi Shimbun, 2023.
Top court ruling highlights struggles for pregnant foreign trainees This article looks at the struggles and mistreatment faced by technical trainees who become pregnant in Japan, including being encouraged not to have the baby or to lgo back to their countries, following the case of Vietnamese woman Le Thi Thuy Linh who was found not guilty of abandoning her stillborn twins following a secret pregnancy. NHK World, 2023.
FOCUS: Moment of truth as Japan eyes review of foreign "trainee" workers An overview of the current situation and problems with the Technical Internship Training Programme, especially trainees getting into debt to join the programme, and a review of opinions about what kind of programme should replace it. Kyodo News, 30 Aug 2022.
Taking a Stand: Gifu Labor Union Fights to Protect Foreign Technical Trainees in Japan The article tells the story of how Chinese-born Zhen Kai became a labour activist in Japan, setting up a shelter for foreign trainees, and supporting the trainees especially with getting compensation after being injured in accidents at work. nippon.com, 2020. Japanese version here: 働くために日本に来たのに…：技能実習生の孤独
Vietnamese Technical Trainees in Japan Voice Concerns Amidst COVID-19 by Bao Quyen Tran A longer article that looks at the difficulties that have been faced by trainees from Vietnam on the programme for some years, specific difficulties caused by the Covid pandemic, the coverage of the trainees' situation in the pandemic in the Japanese media, the work of some support groups and specific issues like the trainees' lack of information, knowledge and Japanese language skills . AsiaPacific Forum Japan Focus, 2020.
174 foreign technical trainees die in Japan in 8 years Kyodo News, 2018
Technical Interns Information from the Migrant Labour Research Group
Overtime work, wage, forced return, etc…. Q&A for foreign trainees and technical interns (explaining the rights of trainees and technical interns). Advocacy Network for Foreign Trainees.
Foreign trainees a huge help, but do we have to help them, too? Foreign technical intern trainees are the lifeblood that keeps primary industries going in numerous rural communities, but many municipalities show little interest in doing anything to help the visiting workers feel at home. Asahi Shimbun, 2 Dec 2020.
Abolish the Technical Intern Training Program, Japanese government-led slavery immediately A campaign to end the programme. Change.org, 2019.
As foreign workers disappear, Japan puts in measures to improve working conditions This article examines the exploitation and harsh working conditions of foreign workers on the technical internship training programme in Japan, and discusses whether the action being taken by the government to solve these problems will be effective or not. NHK World, 15 Jan, 2020.
Japan’s Technical Intern Training Programme - Learning the Hard Way? An article that explains how the TITP works, the criticisms of the harsh working conditions on the programme and possible and actual measures that could be taken to prevent abuse of trainees on the programme, especially ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Institute for Human Rights and Business, 16 October 2017. See also a longer report on the same issues Learning Experience? Japan’s TITP and the Challenge of Protecting the Rights of Migrant Workers which downloads as a pdf file.
Forced Labor Risk in Japan’s Technical Intern Training Program A longer report that looks at the situation of Chinese trainees in Gifu who brought legal cases against their companies about exploitation and poor-working conditions. It includes short 'case studies' that tell the stories and experiences of individual trainees. Verite, 2018. This link downloads as a pdf file.
Japan moves to expand controversial foreign worker scheme Japan is considering expanding a controversial program that now offers workers from China and elsewhere permits to work for up to three years, as the world's fastest-aging nation scrambles to plug gaps in a rapidly shrinking workforce. Reuters, 1 Apr 2014. The article looks at the government's view as well as the criticisms of the scheme by a labour lawyer, Shoichi Ibusuki.
Foreign Workers in Japan: Temporary Workers Suffer Poor Conditions A video report that looks at good and bad examples of the program. "About 180,000 foreign trainees work in Japan, and most of them come from China, Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam. Training these young foreign workers is a plan endorsed by the Japanese government and is supposed to benefit both countries. But many say they are being exploited, and last year, a record number of 34 foreign workers had died." Aljazeera, 27 Oct, 2009.
Japan Training Program Is Said to Exploit Workers Critics say foreign trainees have become an exploited source of cheap labor in a country with one of the world’s most rapidly aging populations and lowest birthrates. It includes a video about this issue and the work that Japanese lawyers are doing to protect the trainees. New York Times, 20 July, 2010.
Japanese Agriculture and Migration: Big Farms deeply depending on the Technical Intern Training Program by Mitsuyoshi Ando (Tokyo University) & Kenji Horiguchi (Waseda University), Migration Papers, University of California Davis, no date (but after 2011 so quite recent). The authors see the Technical Intern Training Program as "a legal loophole to hire low wage farm worker from abroad" and discuss the situation of trainees in agricultural work in Japan.
40,000 foreign trainees enter Japan amid virus as others fired This article looks at the situation of trainees on the Technical Internship Training Programme, especially from Vietnam, during the Covid pandemic, explains some of the criticisms of the programme and reports on a proposal to replace the programme with a different system. Asahi Shimbun, 21 Jan, 2021
Labor-starved Japan welcomes return of foreign workers This article looks at the situation of businesses that rely on foreign workers, particularly on the Technical Internship Training Programme, caused by the restrictions on foreigners coming into Japan during the pandemic. Nikkei Asia, 26 Sep 2020.
Tokyo sex parlor heads accused of illegally hiring foreign trainees The article describes a sex parlour which used Vietnamese women to provides sexual services. The women came to Japan to work on the Technical Internship Training Programme but lost their jobs in that due to the pandemic and could not return to Vietnam so turned to sex work to survive. Asahi Shimbun, 10 Nov 2020.
外国人技能実習生権利ネットワーク/ Advocacy Network for Foreign Trainees This is an organisation that provides legal advice and other support for interns and trainees and campaigns for improvements in the program. Mostly in Japanese and Chinese but has Q&A for foreign trainees and technical interns in English.
Foreign trainees network Fukui （外国人研修生ネットワーク福井）
Lawyers Network for Foreign Trainees / 外国人研修生問題弁護士連絡会
Rights of Immigrants Network in Kansai An organisation that provides help to foreign workers including interns and trainees.
Zenkoku Ippan Tokyo General Union/全国一般東京ゼネラルウニオン (Tozen, 東ゼン) Shoichi Ibusuki, a lawyer who works for this union has supported many trainees in legal cases about working conditions.
Zentoitsu Workers Union - Torii Ippei represents foreign trainees at this union
Solidarity Network with Migrants Japan -SMJ / 移住者と連帯する全国ネットワーク An organisation that supports foreign workers in Japan. President Torii Ippei has supported many trainees in legal cases.
The Migrant Worker Study Group / マイグラント研究会 A professional group consisting of lawyers, leading members in the labor union and researchers who are familiar with the problems of foreign workers. We study various problems of foreign workers and provide them with legal support.
JICA Embarks upon Support for Foreign Workers in Japan This article reports on an new organisation, the Japan Platform for Migrant Workers towards Responsible and Inclusive Society (also known as JP Mirai), to work with foreign workers and especially trainees on the Technical Internship Training programme. It has been created by JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency, together with local government, companies, NPOs and others. The article tkakes apositive view of this organisation but doesn't include the views of foreign workers themselves about it. Nippon.com, 2020.
https://www.degruyter.com/view/journals/cj/26/2/article-p245.xml by Meng Liang. This academic article examines Chinese agricultural labor migrants’ experiences in rural Japan, mainly in Kawakami, a village located in central Japan. It goes beyond the labeling of Chinese migrants as passive victims of difficult work conditions and exploitation, and argues that Chinese peasant workers possess an agency to negotiate, navigate, and survive in the village, making their own 'places' there and creating social networks to support themselves. Contemporary Japan, 2014.
Transformation of the Foreign Trainee Program by Sonoko Kawakami, WOMEN’S ASIA 21 Voices from Japan No. 20 Winter 2008
Japan's Internship Training Program for Foreign Workers: Education or Exploitation? by Kamata Satoshi, The Asia-Pacific Journal, Japan Focus, Jul 2008
Concerning Revisions in the Foreign Trainee and Technical Intern System by Hiroaki Watanabe, The Japanese Institute for Labour Policy and Training, Japan Labour Review, Summer 2010
The Dynamics of Indonesian Migrant Workers in Japan Under the Industrial and Technical Internship Program by Nawawi, Proceedings of the 16th Tri-University International Joint Seminar and Symposium 2009
Legal Protection for Migrant Trainees in Japan: Using International Standards to Evaluate Shifts in Japanese Immigration Policy by Shikha Silliman Bhattacharjee, University of Pennsylvania Journal of International Law, 2014.
Japanese Agriculture and Migration: Big Farms deeply depending on the Technical Intern Training Program by Mitsuyoshi Ando (Tokyo University) & Kenji Horiguchi (Waseda University), Migration Papers, University of California Davis, no date (but after 2011 so quite recent). The authors see the Technical Intern Training Program as "a legal loophole to hire low wage farm worker from abroad" and discuss the situation of trainees in agricultural work in Japan.