Firms' reliance on foreign workers faces major test

Across Japan, foreign workers are keeping factories, fisheries, and workshops afloat.

- MAIKO AIYAMA

This file photo, dated Feb 26, 2019, shows a technical trainee from Vietnam working at a knitwear factory in Mitsuke, Japan.REUTERS

(REUTERS)

But as wages rise in neighbouring countries, many business owners worry that Japan may no longer be an attractive destination for this workforce.

In Choshi, home to a large fishing port in Chiba Prefecture, east of Tokyo, one longestablished cannery offers a glimpse into both Japan’s dependence on foreign workers and efforts being made to retain them.

Ho Thi Thuy Nhung, 38, begins work at 8am on the assembly line. Her job rotates every few hours: operating a machine that cuts off fish heads and tails, removing foreign objects by hand, and carefully lifting fish from a grilling machine. Each task requires focus and precision.

“When I first started, I was confused because there were so many steps,” she says. “But I learned quickly. The work changes often, and once I gotused toit, I actually found it enjoyable.”

Ms Nhung is a Vietnamese technical intern trainee. She came to Japan last summer, leaving behind her husband and their eight-year-old son. Of the 80 people employed at the cannery, 16 are technical intern trainees from Vietnam.

Japan is replacing its controversial technical intern training programme. Established in 1993, ithas been accused of being a vehicle for obtaining cheap labour and drawn criticism for harsh working conditions and human rights abuses. A new system is to be launched in 2027.

“Choshi’s main industry could not exist without foreign workers,’ says Yoshihisa Tawara, president of Tawara Canning Co., where Ms Nhung works. “From fishing and unloading to wholesale and processing, they support every stage.”