July 8, 2015
Allowing the use of foreign workers as domestic helpers “will lead to an increased use of foreign nationals in low-paid manual labor”, Japanese Communist Party legislator Tamura Tomoko warned at a House of Councilors Committee meeting on July 7.
Japan has been prohibiting foreign manual laborers, but the present government wants to accept female foreigners as domestic workers in some special economic zones using the argument of “women’s empowerment” after partially amending the Law on National Strategic Special Zones.
Lawyer Ibusuki Shoichi, an unsworn witness called to the committee as an expert in labor issues for foreign residents, disagreed even with the trial implementation of foreign labor in housework by citing potential problems as follows:
- It could perpetuate the current situation that housework is neither socialized nor equally shared between women and men;
- Cases of human rights violations such as physical abuse could increase;
- The Labor Standards Act is not applicable to foreign domestic employees because they work under direct job contracts with each household employer; and
- Discussion on the use of migrant domestic workers is insufficient.
JCP lawmaker Tamura quoted an executive of a leading housekeeping company as saying, “We want to pay the workers less than the designated minimum wages.” She expressed concern that such labor deregulation could replace Japanese with foreign workers and help to spread the use of low-paid labor.
Ishiba Shigeru, state minister in charge of economic special zones, said in response, “The government won’t allow that to happen.”
Japan has been prohibiting foreign manual laborers, but the present government wants to accept female foreigners as domestic workers in some special economic zones using the argument of “women’s empowerment” after partially amending the Law on National Strategic Special Zones.
Lawyer Ibusuki Shoichi, an unsworn witness called to the committee as an expert in labor issues for foreign residents, disagreed even with the trial implementation of foreign labor in housework by citing potential problems as follows:
- It could perpetuate the current situation that housework is neither socialized nor equally shared between women and men;
- Cases of human rights violations such as physical abuse could increase;
- The Labor Standards Act is not applicable to foreign domestic employees because they work under direct job contracts with each household employer; and
- Discussion on the use of migrant domestic workers is insufficient.
JCP lawmaker Tamura quoted an executive of a leading housekeeping company as saying, “We want to pay the workers less than the designated minimum wages.” She expressed concern that such labor deregulation could replace Japanese with foreign workers and help to spread the use of low-paid labor.
Ishiba Shigeru, state minister in charge of economic special zones, said in response, “The government won’t allow that to happen.”
