Photo/Illutration Justice Minister Hideki Makihara at a news conference on Nov. 1 (Kazumichi Kubota)

The Immigration Services Agency on Nov. 1 clarified the conditions for foreign technical intern trainees to change their workplaces if they suffer from abuse, harassment or serious contract violations.

This classification comes amid the high numbers of international trainees going missing in Japan.

The agency aims to protect trainees’ rights and improve their working conditions.

Currently, those on the technical intern training program are, in principle, not allowed to change workplaces for three years. The occurrence of "unavoidable circumstances" is the exception.

However, vague definitions have been noted as making it difficult for trainees to transfer, even in cases of human rights violations.

In 2023, a record 9,753 trainees went missing out of some 510,000 in the program. 

Urgent improvements in working conditions are needed as the current technical intern program will run for several more years.

This is ahead of an approved new training and employment system that allows transfers after a certain period of work; the system was greenlit for implementation by 2027.

The revisions clarified specific conditions under which trainees can apply for a transfer.

These conditions include cases where trainees experience sexual harassment, power harassment or when a colleague has been subjected to harassment. Situations where actual working conditions significantly deviate from contract terms without correction are also covered.

To enable trainees to report these cases more easily, officials created a dedicated form for requesting transfers.

The form allows trainees to check specific cases eligible for transfer, such as “forced to work excessive hours,” or “a colleague experiencing rights violations that made me feel unsafe.”

The agency plans to make copies of the form available at trainees’ workplaces.

“We believe that more trainees will apply for transfers, which could ultimately help prevent disappearances,” Justice Minister Hideki Makihara said at a news conference on Nov. 1.

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