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2020 July 8 - 14 TOP3 [SOCIAL ISSUES]

JCP Tamura urges gov’t to provide support for foreign trainees facing pandemic-caused hardships

Japanese Communist Party lawmaker Tamura Tomoko on July 9 at a House of Councilors Cabinet Committee meeting urged the government to improve support measures for foreign residents, in particular foreign trainees, who are experiencing financial difficulties caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

Tamura pointed out that many foreign trainees who have finished their training period are unable to go home because of the COVID-19 pandemic and thus they are effectively left strained and unemployed. She said, “The responsibility to ensure the livelihoods of foreign trainees lies with Japanese supervising organizations. The Justice Ministry, the Labor Ministry, and the Organization for Technical Intern Training (a legal entity tasked to ensure proper operation of the foreign trainee program) should work together and instruct supervising organizations on proper procedures.”

A Justice Ministry official in response said, “Supervising organizations and companies accepting foreign trainees should take necessary measures. The ministry will cooperate with parties concerned to protect foreign trainees.”

Tamura demanded that the government strongly urge host companies to keep using foreign trainees beyond their training period. A Labor Ministry official replied that the ministry will further inform recipient firms of the government’s special measures and support programs for foreign trainees.

In addition, Tamura referred to the fact that there are foreign residents who were not covered by the government’s anti-corona program cash payment of 100,000 yen to all registered residents in Japan. She asked whether municipal governments can set up their own program to give cash payments to foreign residents with the use of the national government’s special subsidies to help municipalities implement their own measures to combat the coronavirus pandemic. A Cabinet Office official answered that they can.

Past related article:
> Foreign trainees, despite having completed their training, stuck in Japan as flights have been suspended due to coronavirus [May 5, 2020]