{"id":14474,"date":"2017-01-30T14:51:54","date_gmt":"2017-01-31T00:51:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.debito.org\/?p=14474"},"modified":"2017-01-30T17:10:36","modified_gmt":"2017-01-31T03:10:36","slug":"reuters-japans-nj-workers-reach-record-1-million-but-fine-print-overlooked-e-g-conflating-trainees-with-workers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/?p=14474","title":{"rendered":"Reuters: Japan’s NJ workers reach record 1 million; but fine print overlooked, e.g., conflating “Trainees” with “Workers”"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Hi Blog. The resurgence of Japan’s import labor regime has resumed in earnest, reaching a record at least in the Postwar Era. (Remember that during WWII, Japan’s internal colonial population, as in workers imported from its colonies, was very high;\u00a0people from the Korean peninsula alone in 1945 were more than two million<\/a>.)\u00a0\u00a0Now as of 2016, the NJ worker total has hit 1 million, according to Reuters below.<\/p>\n

There is some fine print this\u00a0article should have noted. This “record one million” is of workers, not registered residents alone (which is in fact more than twice the number, at 2.23 million as of 2015<\/a>), since they have dependents (i.e., spouses with non-work visas and children). But\u00a0within this one million are people who are not technically “workers” (roudousha<\/em>), but “Trainees” (kenkyuusei<\/em> or jisshuusei<\/em>), who aren’t officially protected by Japan labor laws<\/a> and are exposed to all manner of abuses, including slavery<\/a>.<\/p>\n

So calling them all “workers” is misleading both in terms of terminology and legal status. Especially since, as the article does rightly note, they are making up 20% of the total, or around 200,000 unprotected NJ laborers. \u00a0Now that their numbers have shot up by\u00a025% over one year alone, we can expect that\u00a070% of all their employers will likely expose them to labor abuses<\/a>.<\/p>\n

These are not happy statistics, and for the article to lack this degree of nuance\u00a0(especially since Reuters itself has done marvelous exposes in the past<\/a>, even calling “Trainee” employers\u00a0“sweatshops in disguise”<\/a>) is at this point\u00a0an institutional memory\u00a0problem.<\/p>\n

Another problem is the article implying that there is any actual attempt to, quote, “open gates to immigrants”. \u00a0Immigration (imin<\/em>) has never been part of Japan’s\u00a0policy calculations<\/a> (and I challenge the journalists researching this article to find that exact word in any of the cited policy directives; their citing a construction company manager, in the unlikely event that he actually used the word imin<\/em>, is still indicative of nothing) — only temporary stopgap laborers<\/a> who will give their best working lives and then be sent home at the first economic downturn. \u00a0As has happened before<\/a>, most cruelly.<\/p>\n

As much as the article might be trying to attract eyeballs by putting a superlative “record number of” in the headline (and once again sneaking in an angle of\u00a0hope of actual “immigration” happening<\/a>), the only change that has happened here is that more NJ are being processed by an exploitative system — one that has by design remained relatively unchanged for nearly three decades, and moreover\u00a0has been expanded to exploit even more<\/a>. \u00a0So many misdirected angles here. \u00a0Dr. ARUDOU, Debito.<\/p>\n

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

NATIONAL<\/strong>
\n Foreign workers in Japan hit the 1 million mark for the first time last autumn: ministry<\/strong>
\n REUTERS\/Japan Times JAN 27, 2017<\/strong>
\nhttp:\/\/www.japantimes.co.jp\/news\/2017\/01\/27\/national\/foreign-workers-japan-hit-1-million-mark-first-time-last-autumn-ministry\/<\/a><\/p>\n

The number of foreign workers in Japan surpassed 1 million for the first time last year, as the labor-strapped country struggles to find enough Japanese workers.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Slightly over a million foreigners from countries such as China and Vietnam were working here as of October, labor ministry data showed Friday.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

That was up nearly 20 percent from the previous year and a new record for the fourth straight year.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The figures suggest Japan is increasingly turning to overseas workers to plug its labor shortages despite its reluctance to accept them.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The country is facing its worst labor crunch since 1991 amid a shrinking and aging population, which has prompted calls from the International Monetary Fund for it to accept more overseas workers to boost economic growth.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has said the country should put more Japanese women and the elderly to work first before accepting immigrants, but policymakers are exploring ways to bring in more foreign workers without calling it \u201cimmigration.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

In December, the government expanded the scope of a system for accepting trainee workers from developing countries, while also creating a new visa status for nurses and domestic helpers.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

It also aims to court highly skilled workers from overseas, such as academic researchers, by easing the path to permanent residency.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The labor shortage is especially severe in the construction sector, where demand has spiked ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and for rebuilding following the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Over 41,000 laborers from abroad powered the construction industry as of last October, up from around 29,000 the previous year.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

In November, there were over eight times as many job offers for putting together steel construction frames as there were workers, separate government data showed.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cWe have on-site managers through our company, but the people who actually do the work, that\u2019s where we lack skilled labor,\u201d said a manager at a major construction company. \u201cThat\u2019s where we have to find the people, and why we are trying to open gates to immigrants.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Workers from China made up over 30 percent of the foreign labor force, rising 6.9 percent from the previous year.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Vietnamese workers were in second place, accounting for around 16 percent of the total foreign workers but up over 50 percent compared to the previous year.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

A Reuters investigation last year showed how asylum seekers, some of whom are banned from working, are working on public works projects amid a shortage of Japanese construction workers.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The trainee system, whose aim is to train foreign workers so they can bring skills back to their home country, is often used by labor-strapped companies to secure workers. The program has been long dogged by cases of labor abuse including illegal overtime and unpaid wages, prompting criticism from Human Rights Watch and the U.S. State Department.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Nearly 20 percent of foreign workers were trainees as of last October, labor ministry data showed, rising by over 25 percent from the previous year.<\/em><\/strong>
\nENDS<\/p>\n

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

Do you like what you read on Debito.org? \u00a0Want to help keep the archive active and support Debito.org’s activities? \u00a0Please consider donating a little something. \u00a0More details here<\/a>. Or even click on an ad below.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The resurgence of Japan’s import labor regime has resumed in earnest, reaching a record at least in the Postwar Era. (Remember that during WWII, Japan’s internal colonial population, as in workers imported from its colonies, was very high; people from the Korean peninsula alone in 1945 were more than two million.) Now as of 2016, the NJ worker total has hit 1 million, according to Reuters below.<\/p>\n

There is some fine print this article should have noted. This “record one million” is of workers, not registered residents alone (which is in fact more than twice the number, at 2.23 million as of 2015), since they have dependents (i.e., spouses with non-work visas and children). But within this one million are people who are not technically “workers” (roudousha), but “Trainees” (kenkyuusei or jisshuusei), who aren’t officially protected by Japan labor laws and are exposed to all manner of abuses, including slavery.<\/p>\n

So calling them all “workers” is misleading both in terms of terminology and legal status. Especially since, as the article does rightly note, they are making up 20% of the total, or around 200,000 unprotected NJ laborers. Now that their numbers have shot up by 25% over one year alone, we can expect that 70% of all their employers will likely expose them to labor abuses.<\/p>\n

These are not happy statistics, and for the article to lack this degree of nuance (especially since Reuters itself has done marvelous exposes in the past, even calling “Trainee” employers “sweatshops in disguise”) is at this point an institutional memory problem.<\/p>\n

Another problem is the article implying that there is any actual attempt to, quote, “open gates to immigrants”. Immigration (imin) has never been part of Japan’s policy calculations (and I challenge the journalists researching this article to find that exact word in any of the cited policy directives; their citing a construction company manager, in the unlikely event that he actually used the word imin, is still indicative of nothing) — only temporary stopgap laborers who will give their best working lives and then be sent home at the first economic downturn. As has happened before, most cruelly.<\/p>\n

As much as the article might be trying to attract eyeballs by putting a superlative “record number of” in the headline (and once again sneaking in an angle of hope of actual “immigration” happening), the only change that has happened here is that more NJ are being processed by an exploitative system — one that has by design remained relatively unchanged for nearly three decades, and moreover has been expanded to exploit even more. So many misdirected angles here.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36,5,12,16,13,11,53],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14474","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bad-social-science","category-human-rights","category-immigration-assimilation","category-labor-issues","category-media","category-problematic-foreign-treatment","category-unsustainable-japanese-society"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14474","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=14474"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14474\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=14474"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=14474"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=14474"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}