In Japan, the labor shortage is expected to accelerate due to the declining birthrate and aging population, and the number of foreign workers is expected to continue to increase. On the other hand, other developed countries and emerging economies are also experiencing declining birthrates, which will increase the acceptance of foreign workers. In Southeast Asia, some people have been heard to choose South Korea or Taiwan over Japan (note: based on JICA interviews), and it has been pointed out that the competition for foreign workers has begun.
On the other hand, various problems related to the environment for accepting foreign workers in Japan are also recognized in other countries, and there are some who fear that the number of workers choosing Japan will decrease and that Japan itself will lose international credibility. We believe it is important to not only comply with laws and regulations, but also to firmly accept foreign workers as consumers, improve Japan’s reputation, and become a “trusted and chosen Japan”. In order to realize these goals, it is essential not only for individual companies and local governments, but also for various stakeholders to cooperate, which is why we have established the “Platform for Responsible Acceptance of Foreign Workers”.
While there have been various reports in the domestic press on unpaid wages, harassment and violence, there are also indications in the international community, such as in a report by the U.S. Department of State.
In the “2020 Trafficking in Persons Report” (released in June), published annually by the U.S. State Department for 188 countries, Japan’s rating was lowered from the first tier, the best in FY 2019, to the second tier out of a four-level ranking. 2021 report also indicated that overall efforts are being enhanced On the other hand, it reported a continued lack of political will to recognize and protect victims of trafficking in persons, as it did not actively recognize a single trafficking case or victim in the foreign technical internship system.
Domestic administrative agencies (related ministries, local governments, and related organizations) are engaged in various initiatives within their respective areas of responsibility, while economic and industry associations are working on policy proposals and issues specific to their respective industries.
The Platform for Responsible Recruitment of Foreign Workers (JP-MIRAI) is the first platform in Japan to directly listen to the voices of foreign workers, and to discuss issues that have been recognized, and to have stakeholders related to foreign workers, including private companies, economic and industry organizations, local governments and government agencies, research institutions, and experts, take action to solve the problems. We believe that this is the first platform of its kind in Japan.
Foreign workers who do not have permanent resident status are eligible for this program, but there are no restrictions on status of residence.
We are also looking at accepting foreigners as sei-katsu-sha, which we believe will be the subject of our activities.
Our approach is to (1) work with economic organizations, industry associations, and major companies to reach out to small and medium-sized companies in the supply chain, (2) work with local governments to reach out to local companies and recipients of foreign workers, and (3) provide useful information to foreign workers to increase access through our website and apps. By combining (1) to (3) above, we hope to expand our reach to Japanese stakeholders and foreign workers.
We believe it is important to communicate to society together with many stakeholders and gain public understanding of the need to solve the problem. We envision that the problem will be solved through a system in which stakeholders discuss the problem in concrete terms through applications and other means, and then make the necessary proposals and actions toward a solution. We also hope to communicate these efforts to the international community to gain their understanding.
We operate “JP-MIRAI Assist,” a consultation service for foreign nationals living in Japan, which provides consultation on all aspects of the working and living environment. If a foreign worker (or his/her family or acquaintances) has difficulty in resolving the issue on his/her own, we provide assistance and support to help resolve the issue as soon as possible. Our greatest feature is that we also provide consultation by specialists who are familiar with status of residence and labor issues, and support the use of ADR (Alternative Dispute Resolution) procedures. Please contact us if you have any problems with foreign resident counseling.
We have already consulted with the Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, JITCO, OTIT, JETRO, ILO, IOM, and other related ministries and organizations from an early stage, and they have understood our intention to cooperate with us on the activity level. We plan to deepen communication with embassies in Tokyo and governments of other countries for explanations and cooperation. In addition, we are also considering projects such as inviting overseas labor administration officials from various countries to Japan (dialogue) and strengthening human resource development and administrative capacity building for governments in various countries as part of JICA projects.
For the appropriate acceptance of foreign workers, the cooperation of all stakeholders, including not only the direct recipient companies but also local residents who accept them as consumers, is indispensable. Therefore, we would like to expand our activities by asking all stakeholders related to the acceptance of foreign workers who agree with our “Principles of Action” to become members.
Please apply from the membership application page. The secretariat will confirm (screen) to the extent possible that you are not an anti-social force and that you do not have any serious problems.
As noted on our website, we would like to We would also like to ask organizations and companies that have knowledge and experience to provide us with information and experience so that we can work together to achieve our goals.
