"Japan govt. panel discusses allowing foreign trainees to find new employers" 30 June 2023

A Japanese government panel has discussed a proposal aimed at allowing foreign technical trainees to switch employers.

The panel of experts met on Friday. It is tasked with reviewing the technical intern training program, which was created to allow foreign nationals to learn job skills while working in Japan.

There have been a number of cases in which trainees have been forced to work long hours for illegally low wages.

In principle, trainees are not allowed to move to different companies.

About 7,000 trainees fled from their workplaces in 2021.

The panel compiled an interim report in April. It called for the current program to be scrapped and for a new system to be set up.

The panel said the new system should make it easier for foreign nationals to stay and work in Japan mid-to long-term. It said trainees should be allowed to switch to different firms.

At Friday's meeting, panel members discussed the kinds of conditions that should enable a trainee to find another employer.

One member said trainees should be allowed to do so after they work at one company for a year. Another said they should be permitted to switch employers only once.

Other proposals included allowing trainees, who have suffered human rights abuses, to change employers, even if they do not meet certain conditions.

The panel will [...] compile a final report.