Losing the “dream of a judge” … Young people in Myanmar aiming for Japan February 17, 19:35

“My dream was to become a judge, but now my goal is to become a care worker,”

a young man who came to Japan after dropping out of college replied with a serious look.

More than 20,000 Myanmarese have come to Japan since last March, when border measures were eased.

Many of them use the "Foreign Technical Intern Training Program" to work while learning skills, and are engaged in fields such as nursing care where there is a labor shortage.

Two years have passed since the military coup in Myanmar.

We interviewed young people aiming to go to Japan and the sites in Japan that accept them.

(Jun Takahashi, Reporter for Asia General Bureau / Saki Yamauchi, Director of Good Morning Japan)

“Universities closed…” to Japanese technical intern trainees

Narita Airport in January this year.

Four young people came down from Myanmar.

I am going to do nursing care technical training at a nursing home in Chiba Prefecture.

"I finally came to Japan. I was so happy when I arrived

.

" minute.

Twelve hours after leaving Myanmar, the group arrived at the training center.

After receiving training for one month here, they are assigned to nursing homes and begin practical training.

One of them, Mr. Su, dropped out of a university in Yangon and came to Japan.

He dreamed of becoming a judge, so he worked part-time as a private tutor to cover his tuition and living expenses.

If you pass the remaining one exam, you can go to law school.

At that point, a coup d'état occurred, and the reopening of the closed university was no longer expected.

Going to Japan as a nursing care technical intern was a difficult decision.

Ms. Soo

: “I was very sad. I was studying late into the night and working hard towards my master’s degree. After a while, I found a nursing job that would allow me to support my family while studying Japanese, and decided that it would be a good fit for me.When I return to Japan someday, I will run a Japanese language school and a nursing home in my village. I would like to do it as a business."

Unprecedented “Japan Boom” in Myanmar

In Myanmar, the number of young people aiming for Japan is increasing.

In Yangon, the largest city, there are many Japanese language schools, and it is said that there are more than 300 of them.

The goal is to pass the Japanese proficiency test required when going to Japan as a technical intern trainee or a specific skill.

After the coup d'état, many highly educated people such as university students entered the market.

Why are so many Myanmar young people aiming for Japan?

The reason is the deterioration of the economic situation due to the coup d'état.

Economic sanctions by Europe and the United States, which seek to improve the human rights situation, and the situation in Ukraine, have led to soaring prices.

Foreign-funded factories and companies are also withdrawing one after another, and it is believed that the number of unemployed people is increasing.

While the future is uncertain, more and more people are aiming to go abroad, and one of those destinations is Japan.

Many young people consider going to Japan for technical intern training to be their “ticket to freedom,” so to speak.

This is because once you have passed the Japanese proficiency test and you have decided where you will be accepted, you will be able to leave Myanmar through the formal procedures.

Some people intend to acquire skills and return to Myanmar as the original purpose of the Technical Intern Training Program.

However, a movement that was not seen much before the coup d'état is spreading, especially among highly educated young people, who use this system to aim for overseas.

“I want human resources from Myanmar” increase in inquiries

Japanese companies are also paying attention to this situation.

A company that has been sending technical intern trainees in Yangon for more than 10 years has been receiving a series of inquiries from Japanese companies wishing to accept them.

The background is that the economic development of Vietnam, which has been a major sending country until now, has raised domestic wages, and it has become difficult to attract people who want to go to Japan.

Furthermore, the depreciation of the yen over the past year has reduced remittances to home countries.

Under these circumstances, Myanmar's human resources came to be in the spotlight.

Mr. Nishigaki

"Inquiries are increasing day by day. Unfortunately, Myanmar is in a difficult domestic situation (due to the coup d'etat), so it is difficult to see an improvement in the economy. People in Myanmar think that even if the yen weakens, it will not have any impact. Myanmar has a long history of deep ties with Japan, and there are many people who are pro-Japanese, so I think they are heading towards Japan.”

Mr. Nishigaki's company is planning to send more than twice as many people from Myanmar this year as last year.

“To protect the nursing care business” Expectations for human resources from Myanmar

Young people in Myanmar are receiving a lot of attention at nursing care sites in Japan.

A social welfare corporation in Chiba Prefecture that has accepted Myanmar technical intern trainees since February this year.

We have operated five offices, including a special nursing home for the elderly, and have aimed to provide nursing care that is close to the community.

It is said that the special elderly nursing home, which mainly houses the local elderly, is always full.

The biggest problem in management is the lack of human resources.

Even if I put out a job offer, I can't get enough of it and I'm holding my head.

In the future, it is said that there will be a shortage of nursing care workers in Japan, so even if it means bearing the cost of travel expenses and housing subsidies, I would like to train the human resources accepted from Myanmar and play a part in the operation.

Mr. Shimura

"While accepting technical intern trainees, we will have them continuously improve their skills for the future. Unless we do so over the long term, we will not be able to continue nursing care work. From Myanmar in the future. If we can accept more trainees, I feel that the problem of the nursing care industry (labor shortage) will be solved.”

“Acceptance” based on the situation in Myanmar

While expectations for Myanmar's human resources have been raised, the "Foreign Technical Intern Training Program" has been pointed out for unpaid wages and human rights problems, and the system will be reviewed in the future.

Experts point out that it is necessary to think about how to accept them, not just thinking of them as a "labor force", but with an understanding that circumstances are different from those in other countries.

Mr. Menju

: “Considering the peculiarity of Myanmar (the coup d’état occurred), there is a possibility that some people will not want to return to Japan after coming to Japan. However, it is important to closely monitor (accepting companies) so that there are no companies

that think they

will work for you, or that you are not treated unfairly in Japanese society.

I think it is necessary to thoroughly reflect on the above, and if the number of people from Myanmar increases in the future, we will need to create a solid acceptance system at an early stage and think about accepting people from the perspective of allowing them to become established in Japan.”

“From Myanmar to Japan” Future of young people

February 1st, two years after the coup d'etat.

I (Takahashi) was standing in the center of Yangon, where people and cars disappeared from the normally busy streets as a “silent strike” was called for.

Many people in Yangon live quietly without raising their voices, but I realized that there is a deep-seated opposition to the military.

I interviewed Mr. Koh, a university student who attended a Japanese language school.

I participated in the protests two years ago, but after witnessing the violent crackdown by the military, I have now distanced myself from the activities.

After the coup d'état, he was unable to attend university, so he went to a Japanese language school and passed the certification exam.

After that, the university reopened, so I am currently returning to campus and studying to get the credits necessary for graduation.

"I want to go to Japan after graduating from university. There may be changes in the future, and nothing may change. My only goal is to go to Japan." Japan is his hope

. I felt that.

However, the future is uncertain whether the flow of people from Myanmar to Japan will continue.

Last month, the military suspended issuing new passports.

If the police question you on the street, they will check your mobile phone photos and posts posted on social media, and citizens who support democracy will be detained one after another.

I still don't know when it will happen.

Young people from such countries who desperately came to Japan are working hard at the labor shortage.

How should we accept this reality and engage with them?

I thought it was an issue that each person living in Japanese society should consider.

Asian General Affairs Bureau Reporter

Jun Takahashi

Joined in 2000 After working at　 the Hakodate Bureau, the Sakhalin Office, the Okinawa Bureau, the Vienna Bureau, and the Islamabad Bureau

, he reports on

current affairs in Myanmar, etc.

Ohayo Nihon Director

Saki Yamauchi

Joined the station in 2013

Current

affiliation after working at Yamaguchi Broadcasting Station