There are a series of troubles related to pregnancy and childbirth of foreign technical intern trainees.



In March last year, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare and the Ministry of Justice issued a document calling attention to companies and supervising organizations to prevent trainees from being treated unfavorably because of pregnancy, but the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare is compulsory if they become pregnant. I think that the false perception that you will be returned to Japan is spreading among the trainees.

In March last year, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare and the Ministry of Justice issued a document calling attention to companies and supervising organizations to prevent trainees from being treated unfavorably because of pregnancy.



Among these, labor-related laws and regulations are applied to trainees as well as Japanese workers, and under the "Equal Employment Opportunity Law for Men and Women", companies are not treated disadvantageously such as dismissal due to pregnancy or childbirth. It is prohibited.



On top of that, even if the contract signed with the local sending organization includes the content such as "I will return home as soon as I become pregnant" before the trainee comes to Japan, it is disadvantageous to the trainee for that reason. It is not allowed to treat it.



However, even after this document was issued, there have been a series of cases in which technical intern trainees have not been able to confess their pregnancy and newborn children have died.



According to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, "I think there is a widespread misconception among trainees that they will be forced to return home if they become pregnant. If you hesitate to consult with a company or supervising organization, feel free to consult with the national or local government. I would like to make sure that the consultation desk in my native language is well known so that I can do it. "

I don't know the number of "returning home because of pregnancy"

It is unknown how many cases foreign technical intern trainees have been forced to return home against their will because of pregnancy or childbirth.



According to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, if an apprentice returns to Japan in the middle of the apprenticeship period, the company or supervising organization will notify the country in the prescribed format.



In this form, there is a column to select the reason why the training was interrupted, and there are "illness / injury" and "loss of motivation / homesickness", but there is no "pregnancy".



Also, in the "Other" column, there is a space for handwriting the detailed reason, but it means that individual circumstances that do not apply to the options are not tabulated.



However, according to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, there are many technical intern trainees who want to give birth with peace of mind in their home countries where they have family members and relatives.



On the other hand, depending on the labor union that supports it, there are also consultations from trainees that they can return to Japan against their will due to pregnancy or childbirth.



Regarding this, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare said, "I am aware that the number of trainees has increased significantly and there may be a reason for returning to Japan, which was not expected when the system was created. However," pregnancy "is extremely difficult. It is very sensitive, and we are not considering interviewing trainees to understand it at this stage. "

If you become pregnant, "consult first" Ministry of Justice

When a foreign technical intern trainee becomes pregnant, the Ministry of Justice says that there are two main cases regarding the response of companies and supervising organizations.



One is to finish the training at the host company and return to your home country before giving birth.



The other is to submit a notification to the government to suspend the training before giving birth, and after giving birth, take the procedure again when the physical condition is calm and resume the training.



In this case, if the pregnant apprentice wants to continue working in Japan, he / she will earn the income for the work.



After that, it is possible to take prenatal and postnatal leave and resume the training under the system, but the Ministry of Justice says, "It may be difficult to take it depending on the actual situation of the host company."



When giving birth in Japan, the cost and living expenses with the child after childbirth are issues.



The national ministerial ordinance stipulates that Japanese supervising organizations and companies are responsible for the lives of trainees until they return to Japan.



However, according to the Ministry of Justice, this ministerial ordinance does not mean that the supervising organization or company must bear the costs and procedures related to the pregnancy and childbirth of the trainee.



According to the Ministry of Justice, "The technical intern training system is a system for" acquiring skills and taking them home, "and does not assume pregnancy or childbirth during the training period. However, it is possible to change the status of residence depending on individual circumstances. So, don't hold it alone so that you can give birth safely, but first consult with us. "