Several Vietnamese labourers working in Japan as part of the Technical Intern Training Programme (TITP) have written letters to the authorities complaining of ongoing abuse at the hands of their employers. These abuses include violence, threats and intimidation, the withholding of wages, and pay under the legal minimum wage (e.g. approximately USD 4 an hour). Many “interns” also say they had been forced to borrow up to the equivalent of USD 10,000 by brokers in Vietnam before coming to Japan, effectively ensuring a situation of servitude. 

Under the TITP and other similar government programmes, “interns” are brought to Japan to work for a set period (e.g. three years) to learn advanced skills. The programmes have proven to be a hotbed for abuse since their inception, and have been subject to intense criticism from human rights NGOs, UN human rights organisations, and even the US State Department. Critics argue the programmes are little more than a method for Japanese companies to obtain cheap manual labour, and point to the lack of adequate oversight.