Japan to ease requirements on foreign interns transfering jobs

Oct 19, 2023 | News On Japan

TOKYO - As Japan's labor maket tightens, and foreign technical interns effectively become valuable human resources, the government announced a plan on Wednesday to revise the training system to allow more job flexibility.

Approximately 350,000 interns in Japan work in various fields such as agriculture, fishing, and food processing under the Technical Intern Training System.

However, various problems have arisen, including the inability to "transfer to a job other than the same type of job."

Many people leave the workplace because they are unable to transfer when there are problems in the workplace, such as power harassment or violence. According to Japan's Immigration Bureau, approximately 9,000 technical intern trainees went missing in the past year.

Under the government's announced plan to revise the system, restrictions on transfers will be relaxed, allowing workers to transfer for any reason if they meet certain conditions, such as after one year of employment.

An expert government panel plans to submit a final report on the matter by the end of the year.

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