Japan Press Weekly

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2016 November 9 - 15 [LABOR]

It’s too early to accept foreign trainees in nursing-care industry: JCP Kurabayashi

Japanese Communist Party lawmaker Kurabayashi Akiko on November 10 at an Upper House committee meeting argued against a plan to allow nursing-care providers to accept foreign trainees. The implementation of the plan without measures to address the industry’s chronic staff shortage would give host firms cause to use the trainees just to fill their labor demand, she warned.

Kurabayashi pointed out that under the current technical intern training program, many business owners regard the use of foreign trainees as an effective measure to solve the labor shortage problem. As an example, she cited the fact that an organization which provides a service to supply trainees advertised that it will help client companies solve manpower shortages through the government-backed training program. The JCP lawmaker criticized this ad for running counter to the program’s aim of transferring Japan’s technology to developing countries.

Labor Minister Shiozaki Yasuhisa in reply said that such an advertisement is inappropriate and that the ministry will issue a reprimand to that organization.

The foreign trainee and technical internship program is supposedly intended to help developing countries through technology transfer. Under the program, Japanese firms or groups are expected to accept trainees from abroad and teach them Japan’s advanced technologies and skills with on-the-job training. The Abe government proposes a bill to add nursing-care skills to the training menu.

Past related articles:
> Foreign trainee program without freedom to choose where to work violates human rights: JCP Hatano [October 22, 2016]
> Use of foreign trainees to cover Japan’s labor shortages is unacceptable: JCP Shimizu [April 21, 2016]