Japan: Former technical trainees at Tokatsu Foods allege they were forcibly repatriated after passport & residency card were confiscated
Two organizations in Japan—NPO Posse and General Support Union—report that they are supporting Cambodian technical trainees who allegedly had their passport and residency card confiscated and were forcibly repatriated. The interns worked at Tokatsu Foods, a subsidiary of Nissin Seifun Group, and were recruited by JCI Co., Ltd. NPO Posse further reports that the trainees' supervising organization, Zenkoku Chushou Jigyou Kyoudou Kumi Ai (全国中小事業協同組合) , admitted to the allegations of forcibly repatriating the workers. Tokatsu Foods is a supplier for Starbucks and FamilyMart.
In December 2020, the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre invited FamilyMart, Starbucks, and Tokatsu Foods to respond. FamilyMart, Starbucks, and Tokatsu Foods responded, and their responses are available below.