Many Vietnamese female interns in Japan have their wages withheld
An organization that brokers internships for foreign students in Japan is being investigated by the government for allegedly withholding wages from many Vietnamese students. This is a rare case of this nature.
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| Interns work in a store in Japan - Photo: JAPAN TIMES |
According to the Japan Times, the brokerage organization Japan-Asia International Friendship Association was accused of embezzling nearly 3 million yen (equivalent to 28,000 USD) from the wages of dozens of Vietnamese female students.
According to authorities, the students were hired to work at ryokan (traditional Japanese inns) and other accommodations in Ishikawa and Fukui prefectures between September 2016 and May 2017.
When the employer transfers the employee's salary to the brokerage organization's bank account, they automatically deduct 100 yen/hour as an "administration fee".
That illegal embezzlement helped the "Friendship Association" pocket 2.96 million yen, according toFukui Prefectural Labor Office.
On March 9, the labor inspection offices of Fukui and Ishikawa provinces transferred the investigation file to H.Japan-Asia Friendship Association and its head is Mr.Toshihide Inoue (30 years old) for the prosecutor.
The Japan Times, citing investigative sources, said cases of trainee exploitation being referred to prosecutors are very rare.
Defending his actions, heInoue - head of the brokerage organization, presentedThe student's "skim" money was used to cover various expenses, and he did not know that doing so was illegal.
The Japan-Asia International Friendship Association was established in 2016 with the aim of promoting international exchange.
This organization arranges internships for foreign students at Japanese hotels and accommodation facilities to provide them with the opportunity to learn the language and culture.
Students who complete a 6-12 month internship will receive additional graduation credits.
According to research firm Teikoku Databank, in 2017, 106 companies in Japan were forced to go bankrupt due to a lack of workers, an increase of 34 companies compared to the previous year.
To meet the demand for unskilled labor for construction sites, instead of expanding the criteria for long-term immigration, the Tokyo government has chosen a controversial solution: recruiting technical interns.
The number of technical interns has increased by an average of 25% each year. To date, 220,000 workers have come from China (the largest), Vietnam and the Philippines.
Foreign technical interns are needed in industry, textiles, agriculture as well as construction and health care sectors.
Officially, technical interns are recruited to go to Japan to learn a trade for three years. In reality, some have been exploited by Japanese employers.
According to an investigation by Asialyst newspaper, many unskilled Vietnamese or Chinese workers were recruited to go to Japan to learn a trade. They were forced to work overtime or paid low wages by some bad business owners.
Cases of forced non-payment of wages occur in the textile industry. In construction, work accidents are covered up. And in agriculture, forced overtime without pay is a common occurrence.
Employers often cut 1/3 of wages on the pretext of paying for accommodation. Many do not pay insurance.
Trainees are not trained in any trade and are simply made to do repetitive work. They work without standards and are paid very little. Abuse can take many forms, including confiscation of passports (to prevent them from leaving), withholding of wages, arbitrary dismissals, physical attacks, and even sexual assault.
Death from over exploitation
Sadly, foreign technical interns in Japan have been exploited to the point that at least 27 interns died in 2013-2014 and 30 interns died in 2015-2016 according to Japanese figures.
In 30% of cases, trainees die from work-related accidents or strokes. According to Japanese human rights organizations, the cause is stress and overwork.