Japan Press Weekly

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2019 January 23 - 29 [LABOR]

Mitsubishi Motors and Panasonic punished for violating law on use of foreign trainees

The Justice Ministry on January 25 announced that Mitsubishi Motors and Panasonic were disqualified from accepting foreign trainees due to violations of the Technical Intern Training Act. This is the first time that such a punishment was imposed on companies listed in the first section of Tokyo Stock Exchange.

In addition to these two major manufacturers, a car-parts maker in Toyama Prefecture and a construction company in Ibaraki Prefecture were also disaccredited with the violation of the law. These four companies will be banned from accepting foreign trainees for the next five years.

According to the Justice Ministry, Mitsubishi Motors received a certification as a recipient of foreign trainees on condition that they will receive welding training at the company’s factory in Okazaki City in Aichi Prefecture. However, in 2008, the auto maker began assigning foreign trainees to autobody assembly jobs and gave no welding training. In May 2018, the ministry conducted on-site inspections at the factory in accordance with information from sources outside the company and revoked the company’s certification.

Panasonic was disqualified on the grounds that the maker in March 2018 was fined for labor law violations. Japan’s major electronics company at its factory in Toyama’s Tonami City forced 82 foreign trainees from China and Malaysia to work excessively long hours in violation of the Labor Standards Act.

With the ministry’s sanctions against the four companies, 136 foreign trainees, including 27 Filipino who worked at the Mistubishi Mortors’ factory and 82 Chinese and Malaysian who worked at the Panasonic factory, will have to find another place to receive training or will have to go back to their home countries.

Past related articles:
> 67% of ‘runaway’ foreign trainees paid less than Japan’s minimum wage [December 4, 2018]
> Thousands of foreign trainees run away from exploitative working conditions [November 8, 2018]
> Abe gov’t new policy on foreign workers increases concern in regard to human rights violations [August 23, 2018]