Japan Press Weekly

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2024 March 13 - 19 [SOCIAL ISSUES]

Local body in quake-hit Ishikawa Pref. asks Nihi to help foreign workers continue working in fishing industry

Japanese Communist Party member of the House of Councilors Nihi Sohei on March 7 met with an executive of a food industry organization in Ishikawa Prefecture which was hit the hardest by the January 1 powerful quake, and received requests for recovery support, including measures to enable foreign workers to continue working in the local fishing industry.

The Ishikawa Food Association’s representative director, Yoshida Shigeru, pointed out that the fishery and fishery products processing sector, one of the four major industries in Ishikawa Prefecture, depends on foreign workers, and stressed, “They are vital in maintaining the local fishing industry.”

In Ishikawa Prefecture, 167 foreigners work on fishing boats. Of them, 75 work under Japan’s Industrial Trainee and Technical Internship program and the remaining 92 are holders of the “specified skilled worker” residency status. This came to light in an assembly question posed by JCP prefectural assemblyperson Sato Masayuki.

Referring to this fact, Yoshida said, “They are valuable assets. I hope they remain in the prefecture.”

Nihi in reply said, “Following the Noto quake, the Labor Ministry and the Immigration Service Agency announced the implementation of special measures to support foreign nationals working in Japan. I’ll work to push the government to meet further demands of quake-affected industries.” He went on to say, “I became fully aware that foreign workers are accepted as ‘community members,’” and expressed his determination to work hard to enable them to rebuild their livelihoods at places where they currently live.