Due to the coup d'etat in Myanmar, the flight to Japan was canceled, and Myanmar technical intern trainees could not come to Japan, and the trainees and the host company expressed anxiety. I will.
Canceled flights to Japan
In Myanmar, after the coup d'etat on the 1st of this month, flights from the site to Japan will be canceled until the 17th of this month.
According to a staffing agency in Yangon, the largest city, seven technical intern trainees were scheduled to leave for Japan on the 10th, but the cancellation of the flight was forced to postpone it. is.
One of them, Aung Pie Zhong (19), who is planning to work for a construction company in Sapporo, said, "I'm a little worried, but I have to wait. I'll study Japanese."
On the other hand, the Japanese side resumed the entry of Myanmar trainees, who had been restricted due to the influence of the new virus, in September last year, but last month issued a state of emergency and restricted it again.
Mr. Aung said that he was preparing for the departure from the 10th sunrise because the deadline for the state of emergency was initially set to 7th of this month.
Mr. Masashi Imamura, a staffing agency in Yangon, said, "The environment surrounding trainees is uncertain due to the influence of the coup d'etat. There is a possibility that foreign companies will withdraw and employment will decrease, so I would like to go to work abroad, including Japan. I think there are many people. "
At the receiving construction company
From Myanmar, where the coup d'etat took place, the construction company in Sapporo, which accepts technical intern trainees every year, is worried and anxious because there is no prospect of acceptance in the future.
The construction company "KRS" in Sapporo has been accepting technical intern trainees from Myanmar every year since 2017, and currently 7 out of 21 people working at the company are visiting Japan as trainees.
At this company, trainees are learning about road construction and machine maintenance, and in the face of labor shortages, they are now indispensable.
The company plans to accept Aung Pie Zhong from Myanmar on the 10th of next month, but it is difficult to predict whether it will be accepted until the situation in Myanmar is unstable.
Mr. Takumi Misawa, the representative director of "KRS", is ready to accept in Japan by making video calls using SNS himself, thinking that Mr. Aung Pie Zhong in Myanmar may be worried. I'm telling you that I'm waiting.
Mr. Misawa said, "I'm worried whether it will be accepted safely. I would like to proceed with the procedure while keeping in touch so that I can come early."
Considering a protest rally in Sapporo
On the other hand, Kang Myo Chou, the older brother of Aung Pie Zhong, who came to Japan as a technical intern trainee about three years ago, thinks that Myanmar people in Japan should also speak up. ..
Kang Myo Chou said, "I'm very angry with the soldiers who caused the coup. If the young people don't do their best, our country will get worse, so I'm calling for a voice now. I hope that Aung San Suu Kyi, who can be said to be the "mother" of our country, will be released soon and will continue to unite the country. "
In addition, other Myanmar trainees in the same construction company said, "The Internet and SNS are blocked, it is difficult to contact my family, I am worried," and "Help other countries to settle the coup quickly." I want you to do it. "
Kang Myo Chou and his colleagues are considering holding a protest rally against the coup d'etat in Sapporo on the 14th of this month.
14,000 from Myanmar
According to the statistics of the Immigration Bureau of Japan, as of June last year, there are more than 400,000 foreigners staying in Japan as technical intern trainees from 23 countries and regions.
Of these, 14,000 are from Myanmar, which is about 3.5%.
The number has increased about 100 times compared to 138 in 2011, 10 years before the transition to civilian rule in Myanmar.
The technical intern training program for foreigners, who learns technology while working, is originally intended to develop human resources and convey technology in developing countries, but in fact, it is a labor force that supports industries with labor shortages.
Immigration restrictions due to worsening corona
Japan has restricted the entry of foreigners, including technical intern trainees, as a measure against the border of the new coronavirus, but it has been gradually eased.
Technical intern trainees were allowed to enter from Thailand and Vietnam, where the infection was relatively calm, in July last year, and then from Myanmar in September.
However, as the infection situation worsened in the country and a state of emergency was declared last month, entry from all countries including Myanmar has been restricted so far.