{"id":14052,"date":"2016-06-12T12:35:00","date_gmt":"2016-06-12T22:35:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.debito.org\/?p=14052"},"modified":"2016-06-12T12:35:00","modified_gmt":"2016-06-12T22:35:00","slug":"kyodo-foreign-laborers-illegally-working-on-farms-in-japan-increases-sharply-sic-how-about-the-j-employers-who-employ-illegally","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/?p=14052","title":{"rendered":"Kyodo: Foreign laborers illegally working on farms in Japan increases sharply [sic]. How about the J employers who employ illegally?"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Hi Blog. \u00a0Here we go again with some media bias focusing on the evils “illegal foreign laborers” do, overlooking the fact that it’s Japanese who hire them illegally. \u00a0(One segment even justifies these illegal hiring practices under the guise of economics.)<\/p>\n

Two other submitters below make some more arguments, with a focus on the recent smoke out of illegal police activities in Ibaraki Prefecture. \u00a0Dr. ARUDOU, Debito<\/p>\n

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Foreign laborers illegally working on farms in Japan increases sharply<\/strong>
\n Japan Times \/ Kyodo News, June 12, 2016, courtesy of JDG and BGIO<\/strong>
\nhttp:\/\/www.japantimes.co.jp\/news\/2016\/06\/11\/national\/social-issues\/foreigners-illegally-working-on-farms-in-japan-increases-sharply\/<\/a><\/p>\n

The number of foreign laborers working illegally on farms across the nation rose threefold over the three year period ending in 2015, according to government data.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The findings highlight the difficulties facing Japan\u2019s agricultural sector, including labor shortages and the advanced age of many of the country\u2019s farmers.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Among all the illegal foreign workers subject to deportation in 2015, the greatest number \u2014 1,744 or 21.9 percent \u2014 had worked in the farming sector. That was up from 946 in 2014, 695 in 2013, and 592 in 2012, according to the Justice Ministry.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The ministry also found illegal farm workers were \u201cconcentrated on farms in Ibaraki and Chiba prefectures, which are easily accessible from Tokyo.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The average age of the nation\u2019s farmers is now 66.4 years old, and the fact so many have no one to succeed them has become a serious social issue.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI just cannot keep my business afloat unless I hire (illegal laborers), even if it means breaking the law,\u201d said a 62-year-old farmer in Ibaraki.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The government does operate schemes under which farmers can legally employ foreign workers, including a technical internship program for people from developing countries. Some 24,000 foreign laborers were working on Japanese farms as of fiscal 2014 under that on-the-job training program, according to an estimate by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Since the government began compiling such data in 1991, Tokyo had regularly topped the list of 47 prefectures for the number of foreign laborers working illegally. But last year, the capital ranked third behind Ibaraki with 1,714 illegal workers and Chiba second with 1,238.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

An immigration official said it is believed that around 5,000 undocumented workers are currently working in Ibaraki.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

By nationalities, the greatest numbers of illegal workers came from China, Thailand and Vietnam.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The number of foreign workers who overstayed their visas rose in 2015. The increase came after the government relaxed visa requirements for visitors from Asian countries.<\/em><\/strong>
\nENDS<\/p>\n

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Submitter BlondeGuy InOz comments<\/strong>: I love the way that the headline is “Foreign laborers illegally working on farms in Japan increases sharply” when in reality it should have been more along the lines of “Japanese agricultural employers continue to flout trainee laws and illegally exploit foreign workers from developing countries”, or alternatively “percentage of foreign workers from developing countries exploited by Japanese agriculture sector worker rises to 7% (1,744 of 24,000) of those employed in ‘trainee’ scheme”. But then such headlines would require the type of objective and balanced media coverage than has long been missing in what has the temerity to call itself ‘journalism’ in this country.<\/em><\/p>\n

I let a lot of things go but I just couldn’t bring myself to let this one pass by without at least commenting. Note: that one of the main offending prefectures is Ibaraki prefecture. I experienced my fair share of racism and exclusion (e.g. denied entry to restaurants, denied the right to apply for a credit card, etc…) when living there during a previous stay in the prefecture between 1996 and 2001 (was resident in Japan from 1996 – 2010 before returning to my home country for what has been a better life).<\/em><\/p>\n

========================<\/p>\n

Submitter JDG comments<\/a>:<\/strong> Well, well, well! What have we here? The people benefitting from the anti-constitutional voter weighting disparity, the people receiving the most is government subsidies (including a special bonus to help them restructure for the now never to be implemented TPP), the people who have voted LDP over and over again. Rural farmers are the exact same people breaking the law by employing the greatest number of NJ illegally!<\/em><\/p>\n

And guess where? Chiba and IBARAKI<\/a>!<\/em><\/p>\n

It makes a laughing stock and a sham of the legal system, the JA, the LDP, and the stupid notion that Japanese Shinto mumbo-jumbo rice farming culture is a corner-stone of Japanese identity! If it wasn\u2019t for the LDP letting it\u2019s voters illegally employ NJ, those voters and their farming culture would be over! No wonder Ibaraki police are so crazy<\/a>; they are being told one thing by the government and then expected to turn a blind eye to the NJ underpinning the local economy! That conflict of interest must be causing them trauma!<\/em><\/p>\n

In addition, I would put forward the following supposition to explain the behavior of the Ibaraki Police:<\/em><\/p>\n

Local people, believing NPA statements that the vast majority of crime is caused by NJ, are alarmed by all the \u2018shady\u2019 NJ in Ibaraki.<\/em><\/p>\n

The local police have to been seen to act tough on this issue to make the citizens feel safe, and to ensure that they don\u2019t voice their dissatisfaction by throwing out the local LDP incumbent at the next election.<\/em><\/p>\n

Therefore the PD put up posters of a militarized police, and hassle law abiding NJ whenever the locals phone them, since this means that they can be seen to be acting, when in fact they are choosing to overlook the huge numbers of NJ illegally employed by LDP supporting farmers, and under-pinning the local economy.<\/em><\/p>\n

It\u2019s all a dog-and-pony-show designed to distract the citizenry from politicians in league with law breaking Japanese farmers, so that they can keep their sticky fingers on the levers of power.<\/em><\/p>\n

See? It all makes sense now.<\/em><\/p>\n

=======================<\/p>\n

ENDS<\/p>\n

Do you like what you read on Debito.org? \u00a0Want to help keep the archive active and support Debito.org’s activities? \u00a0We are celebrating Debito.org’s 20th Anniversary in 2016, so please consider donating a little something. \u00a0More details here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Kyoto: The number of foreign laborers working illegally on farms across the nation rose threefold over the three year period ending in 2015, according to government data. The findings highlight the difficulties facing Japan\u2019s agricultural sector, including labor shortages and the advanced age of many of the country\u2019s farmers.<\/p>\n

Among all the illegal foreign workers subject to deportation in 2015, the greatest number \u2014 1,744 or 21.9 percent \u2014 had worked in the farming sector. That was up from 946 in 2014, 695 in 2013, and 592 in 2012, according to the Justice Ministry. The ministry also found illegal farm workers were \u201cconcentrated on farms in Ibaraki and Chiba prefectures, which are easily accessible from Tokyo.\u201d<\/p>\n

The average age of the nation\u2019s farmers is now 66.4 years old, and the fact so many have no one to succeed them has become a serious social issue. \u201cI just cannot keep my business afloat unless I hire (illegal laborers), even if it means breaking the law,\u201d said a 62-year-old farmer in Ibaraki.<\/p>\n

Comment from Submitter BGIO: I love the way that the headline is “Foreign laborers illegally working on farms in Japan increases sharply” when in reality it should have been more along the lines of “Japanese agricultural employers continue to flout trainee laws and illegally exploit foreign workers from developing countries”, or alternatively “percentage of foreign workers from developing countries exploited by Japanese agriculture sector worker rises to 7% (1,744 of 24,000) of those employed in ‘trainee’ scheme”. But then such headlines would require the type of objective and balanced media coverage than has long been missing in what has the temerity to call itself ‘journalism’ in this country.<\/p>\n

Comment from Submitter JDG: If it wasn\u2019t for the LDP letting it\u2019s voters illegally employ NJ, those voters and their farming culture would be over! No wonder Ibaraki police are so crazy; they are being told one thing by the government and then expected to turn a blind eye to the NJ underpinning the local economy! That conflict of interest must be causing them trauma!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[67,36,47,26,4,10,16,13,53],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14052","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-embedded-racism","category-bad-social-science","category-food","category-ironies-hypocrisies","category-japanese-government","category-japanese-policeforeign-crime","category-labor-issues","category-media","category-unsustainable-japanese-society"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14052","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=14052"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14052\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=14052"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=14052"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=14052"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}