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July 10, 2026
 

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FOREIGN TRAINEES

JAPAN
Oct 4, 2019
Action taken against 112 firms last year for abuses under Japan’s foreign intern training program
With cases of abuse ranging from trainees forced to pay illegal deposits to an intern who was forced to work 225 hours of overtime in a month, authorities last year took disciplinary action against 112 firms using the state-sponsored Technical Intern Training Program.
JAPAN
Sep 30, 2019
Japan’s new Justice Minister Katsuyuki Kawai pledges reform with a focus on immigration
On Friday, newly appointed Justice Minister Katsuyuki Kawai promised to reform his ministry, including a pledge to more stringently enforce laws and regulations related to immigration.
JAPAN
Aug 21, 2019
Japan revoked record number of visas in 2018 as authorities stepped up crackdown
Immigration authorities revoked a record 832 visas in 2018, more than double the figure of a year earlier, Justice Ministry data showed Monday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 9, 2019
Record 5,160 firms employing foreign trainees in Japan violated labor laws in 2018, ministry says
A record 5,160 business facilities employing foreign technical intern trainees were told in 2018 to correct practices that violated labor-related laws, the labor ministry has said.
JAPAN
Jun 21, 2019
New law holds government responsible for teaching Japanese to all foreign residents
The legislation places the onus for providing learning opportunities on the state but does not contain any concrete measures to fund.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 23, 2019
Few Japanese firms plan to hire foreign workers under new immigration law, poll suggests
The survey suggests the government may struggle to get the workers it needs to ease the country’s labor woes.
JAPAN / Politics
May 16, 2019
Japanese government seeks public comment on plan to bring foreign trainees into hotel sector
The government on Thursday started soliciting public comments over its plan to allow foreign nationals who come to Japan under the government-sponsored Technical Intern Training Program to work directly for hotels for up to five years, officials said.
JAPAN
Apr 26, 2019
Japan grants first work permits under new blue-collar visa system to address labor crunch
Two permits were issued and similar visas are in the works for another 45 applicants engaged mainly in agriculture.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional voices: Chubu
Apr 22, 2019
As Japan’s banks snub personal stamps, hanko makers pin hopes on growing foreign population
With Japan’s foreign population expected to grow in light of the new visa statuses introduced this month, makers of hanko (personal seals) see a new opportunity for business.
BUSINESS / FOCUS
Apr 7, 2019
Insiders warn of continued exploitation by technical-trainee brokers as Japan launches new visa system
A whistleblower working for a technical trainee broker in Vietnam exposes a series of problematic, exploitation issues at such firms.
EDITORIALS
Apr 6, 2019
Overhaul foreign trainee program
A disturbing new report shows once again how badly the foreign trainee program needs major fixes.
JAPAN
Mar 29, 2019
Probe reveals 759 cases of suspected abuse and 171 deaths of foreign trainees in Japan
The Justice Ministry’s probe into the Technical Intern Training Program confirms growing concerns about a link between the trainees’ working conditions and their growing disappearances from companies.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Mar 29, 2019
Vietnamese nun in Tokyo prays for compatriots who lost lives at work in Japan, fearing more to come
Rows of wooden mortuary tablets inscribed with names line an altar at a Buddhist temple in Tokyo — silent testimony to Vietnamese people who died after coming to Japan to work or study.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 26, 2019
Justice Ministry to accept online Japan visa renewals from July, but only by employers and agents
The ministry will start by accepting online applications for visa renewals for employees including highly skilled professionals, university professors, and interns working under the technical trainee program.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 25, 2019
Mitsubishi and Panasonic lose permits to hire foreign trainees after violations
The Justice Ministry said the firms ordered workers to perform tasks other than those specified in their contracts, among other violations.
JAPAN
Jan 23, 2019
First-time, short-term visitors to Japan hit record 27 million in 2018, making up 98% of arrivals
The number of new, short-term visitors to Japan hit a record high of 27.05 million last year, according to data showing arrivals from overseas by their visa status released by the Justice Ministry for the first time.
JAPAN / Help Wanted?
Dec 31, 2018
Japan said unready for drastic social changes despite impending arrival of foreign workers
Experts bemoan the lack of support measures so far for incoming laborers.
EDITORIALS
Nov 21, 2018
Address issues in the technical intern program
Any practices where abuse of foreign workers is suspected should be eliminated.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Nov 15, 2018
Vietnam-born rights advocate Bungo Okabe steps in to stifle abuse of technical trainees in Japan
When it came to light in March that a Vietnamese man in Japan’s foreign trainee program was duped into performing radioactive decontamination work in areas devastated by the 2011 nuclear disaster, Bungo Okabe, 36, was the first to offer help in seeking justice.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 14, 2018
The impact of accepting unskilled foreign labor
The new visa system will lack durability unless the needs of employers, local communities and foreigners are balanced.
Japanese payment processor’s collapse hits banks and restaurants
Zentoshin served around 200,000 shops, many of which rely on early payments to maintain cash flow, raising concerns over their financial stability following the disruption.
Japan needs caregivers. Young Indians are answering the call.
Young people in India's northeast are increasingly studying Japanese in hopes of building new lives and careers in Japan.
Trump says ‘Japan’ instead of Iran at meeting in Ankara
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at a news conference during a NATO leaders' summit in Ankara on Wednesday.
Wakatakakage injury casts pall over July meet, but potential new stars loom
Nicholas Tarasenko trains at Minato stable in August 2024.
Osaka trumps Tokyo as both ranked among world’s top 10 most livable cities
Osaka’s infrastructure earned higher marks than Tokyo’s in the Economist Intelligence Unit’s latest Global Liveability Index.
‘Princess Mononoke’ comes alive in Super Kabuki staging
The “Princess Mononoke” adaptation was created under Shochiku’s Super Kabuki initiative, a modern form of kabuki with more technology in staging and open to pop culture collaborations.
The beating heart inside ‘Human Vapor’
Different forms of love and connection form the emotional backbone of Netflix’s “Human Vapor,” says actor Shun Oguri, who plays troubled detective Kenji Okamoto.
Japan bets on character IP to drive global growth
Born on social media platforms in 2022, Opanchu Usagi has become a major hit, especially among Generation Z.
Filmmaker explores history of discrimination against foreign nationals in Japan
Takashi Nishihara, the director of "Now and Then," in Tokyo on Wednesday. The director has spent 10 years traversing politically charged terrain while exploring youth-driven grassroots political movements that scrutinize the status quo.
Okinawa’s prized seaweed under threat as oceans warm
Local harvesters gather <i>mozuku</i> during low tide at Hyakuna Beach in the city of Nanjo, Okinawa Prefecture. As the planet warms, rising ocean temperatures are placing increasing pressure on the seaweed industry.

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