The Immigration Services Agency has released the “Government’s response based on the Final Report of the Expert Meeting on the Technical Intern Training System and the Specified Skilled Workers”.
<Intension of the system>
The foreign technical intern training system is intended to contribute to the “development of human resources” who will play a role in the economic development of those regions by transferring skills, techniques, or knowledge cultivated in Japan to developing regions. This system was established in 1993 for the purpose of “international contribution.”
<Reality of the system>
However, in reality, it has come to function as a supplement to Japan’s recent labor shortage, and the Specified Skilled Worker System, which began accepting applications in April 2019, provides a path premised on transitioning from technical intern training. Therefore, it can be said that the true meaning of “international contribution” has been debunked, and the government recognizes this in the specified skills system.
(The Specified Skilled Worker is a system that aims to accept foreigners with a certain level of expertise and skills in industrial fields where it is difficult to secure domestic human resources. (The main purpose is not to contribute.)
The problem with the technical intern training system is that there are many cases in which technical intern trainees are forced to work in harsh conditions in poor conditions, and they cannot be transferred for three years. As a result of these factors, many technical intern trainees disappear and end up staying illegally. Furthermore, it is a contributing factor to foreigners committing crimes.
<Issues in the new system>
Regarding the government’s response mentioned at the beginning, the following points should be noted.
- Abandoning the pretense of international contribution
- Consider human rights by shortening the transfer restriction (job change) from 3 years to 1 to 2 years in some cases.
- If a transfer occurs, consider compensating the company that incurred the initial acceptance costs.
- For the time being, transfers via employment agencies will not be permitted.
In particular, the third point above seems to stand on a kind of same thought I mentioned in this blog .
The specific method of compensation is likely to be announced in the future, but I will keep an eye on it.