"I'm happy now!" Technical intern trainees who lost their jobs are active!

October 13, 15:15

A new type of coronavirus that has a great impact on foreign technical intern trainees working in Japan.

I have heard from various interviewees that the number of foreign technical intern trainees who are losing their place due to their dismissal from work is increasing.

Meanwhile, an acquaintance told me that there is a place where trainees who once lost their jobs are active, and I decided to go immediately.

(Aomori Broadcasting Station reporter Gao Song Hosokawa)

I went to Nambu Town in Aomori Prefecture.

Nisha (25), a woman with an impressive bright smile, welcomed me at the mini tomato farming house on a farm of about 3 hectares near the prefectural border with Iwate prefecture.

Mr. Nisha is involved in growing vegetables such as cherry tomatoes and green onions, and fruits such as cherries and grapes at this farm.

It's been about half a year since I started working, but when it's time for a break, I'm chatting around the desk with the people I work with, and it seems that I'm completely absorbed in it.

Nisha was born and raised in Sri Lanka, an island country in the Indian Ocean, about 7,000 kilometers away from the southern town.

Nisha has been interested in Japanese animation and food culture since she was a child.

I came to Japan as a technical intern trainee three years ago because I wanted to live in Japan.

A woman in her twenties and thirties, also from Sri Lanka, worked for a company that makes pickles outside Aomori prefecture.

It is said that he has become accustomed to work and has lived a fulfilling life, but the spread of the new corona infection will change the lives of the three people.

The company's business performance deteriorated and it went bankrupt, and all three lost their jobs.

Mr. Nisha

"I was surprised because I suddenly lost my job. I was very anxious."

According to the national summary, the number of foreign technical intern trainees who could not continue their work due to the dismissal of their place of employment due to the influence of the new corona was about 5,600 as of July.

Some people want to work again but haven't found a place to accept them.

A place for technical intern trainees to play an active role!

Farmer's challenge

"I want to continue my training in Japan somehow".

Taking into consideration the thoughts, the supervising organization that accepted the three people also searched for a new job, but could not find it easily.

It was a farmer in the southern town who raised his hand after hearing about the predicament of Nisha and his friends.

Three farmers who grow vegetables and fruits in the town accepted the three.

Mr. Nisha will work for Mr. Toshikichi Numahata, who runs a large-scale farm.

Mr. Numahata says that he decided to accept him with the desire to help those in need.

Mr. Toshikichi Numahata

"I have never accepted foreign technical intern trainees, and I was not thinking about accepting them in the near future. I decided to accept one person each. "

Mr. Numahata has long wanted young people to be interested in agriculture, but he didn't have the opportunity to do so.

It is said that he is now reassured that a young worker named Nisha came in an unexpected way this time.

When I visited the interview, Mr. Nisha carefully harvested the cherry tomatoes one by one while checking the method of distinguishing the ripe fruits taught by Mr. Numahata.

Mr. Toshikichi

Numahata "Nisha's work is perfect. It is encouraging not only for me but also for the people I work with to be serious about farming."

First acceptance Town supports

However….

This is the first time for Mr. Numahata to accept foreign technical intern trainees, and there are many things that he does not understand at first.

As long as I can think of it, I will consult with various people.

It was the Exchange Promotion Division of Nambu Town that reached out to Mr. Numahata.

In the aging southern town, it is estimated that by 2030, the population of the elderly aged 65 and over will exceed the working-age population between the ages of 15 and 64.

The town has begun to support companies that accept foreigners to make up for the shortage of workers.

Hiroki Matsubara, Chief of the Southern Town Exchange Promotion Division

"Labor shortages are becoming apparent in various fields. If there is a consultation about support from a business operator in the town, I would like to support as much as possible."

The town will soon begin to support Nisha's home.

Initially, it was difficult to find a house for three people, so until we found a house that met the conditions, we rented out a house built by the town to promote migration free of charge.

Mr. Numahata and his colleagues continued to search for a house while the three worked from the migration promotion housing to the farm.

About three months later, a suitable house was found in the town.

Three people can live together in a 5DK one-story building.

When I got in the way at lunch time, the three of us were splitting up and cooking skillfully.

Many of the ingredients in the kitchen are shared by farmers and neighbors who are accepting three people.

It is said that the help of local people, such as being invited to local events and coming to see the situation in the event of a disaster, also supports life in the southern town.

And now, Nanbu-cho is focusing on Japanese language classes for foreign technical intern trainees.

I teach words used in daily life and how to write Chinese characters about twice a month so that people can live as comfortably as possible.

We are also working on writing to get familiar with Japanese culture.

Three Nishas also challenge!

Write your favorite Chinese characters such as "love" and "suke".

Nisha chose a surprising character.

The Chinese character is "green onion".

Mr. Nisha also manages the green onions cultivated on the farm.

He announced that he chose this character because it is a famous vegetable made in southern town.

“I am happy to be farming with the help of various people in Nambu Town. I am happy now!”

I felt Nisha's attachment to Nambu Town.

“I want to accept more foreigners”

The southern town that supports Nisha and others in this way wants to accept more foreign workers in the future.

Mr. Matsubara, Chief of the Southern Town Exchange Promotion Division

"I would like to take the lead in accepting foreigners in this area and actively support them so that they will be recognized as a southern town where the acceptance of foreigners is progressing."

Nisha says she had a dream since she came to Nanbu-cho.

It is to open a "shabu-shabu shop" in my hometown Sri Lanka.

In Nisha's hometown, there are few chances to eat fresh vegetables.

I want my family and people in my hometown to eat shabu-shabu made with fresh vegetables.

In order to grow delicious vegetables that can be grown in southern towns in Sri Lanka, Mr. Nisha continues to practice while receiving advice from Mr. Numahata so that he can do everything from soil preparation to harvesting by himself.

After the interview

In addition to the anxiety of living in a foreign country, he loses his job.

In a sense, I realized once again that the new Corona has had a serious impact on foreign technical intern trainees who are in a “weak position”.

On the other hand, in Nanbu-cho, farmers accepted such trainees and became workers, and supported them through the “community” including the administration.

Every time I remember Mr. Nisha's smile, I have come to think that his success may be a hint for promoting coexistence with foreigners in regions where the population is aging and declining.

Aomori Broadcasting Bureau reporter

Hosokawa Ko頌

2017 He joined

the current Hachinohe branch office through the Aomori stations

not forget the taste of curry that I had to eat at Nisha's our house, one day in Sri Lanka want to eat curry!

I'm thinking