Since there are cases where so-called "trafficking" is suspected, such as foreign technical intern trainees being violent or forced to work long hours, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare has assigned personnel to labor bureaus nationwide. We have decided to strengthen measures such as conducting joint supervision and investigations with related organizations.
The "Foreign Technical Intern Training Program" is a system in which foreigners learn technology while working in Japan, and as of June last year, about 400,000 people are working.
However, according to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, there are cases in which so-called "personal transactions" are suspected, such as technical intern trainees being violent by the host company or being forced to work long hours at low wages and being virtually unable to escape. I am.
For this reason, it was found that the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare issued a notice last month requesting labor bureaus nationwide to strengthen measures.
Among these, if a person in charge of countermeasures is assigned to the supervisory section of all labor bureaus and "trafficking" is suspected, or if an apprentice seeks protection due to long working hours, etc., labor standards We request that the supervisory office and the Organization for Technical Intern Training for Foreigners jointly supervise and investigate.
Then, we will proceed with the investigation of malicious cases and send them to the prosecution, and if violence or confinement is suspected, we will strengthen cooperation with the police.
Regarding measures for "personal trade" in Japan, a report compiled by the US State Department last year reported forced labor under the foreign technical intern training system, but the authorities did not recognize it as "personal trade". , It has been pointed out that measures need to be strengthened.
The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare says, "Based on the indication that human trafficking is inadequate, we would like to strengthen measures more than ever to eliminate human rights violations against foreign technical intern trainees."