As Japan’s population continues to decline, the birthrate declines, and the population ages, the active role of foreign human resources has become indispensable for maintaining the vitality of society and industry. At the same time, however, troubles over working conditions and living conditions are occurring, and if nothing is done, foreign human resources may continue to leave Japan.
In response to this situation, JICA has established the “Foreign Talent Acceptance Support Office” within the Organization, and is moving forward to contribute to the realization of more appropriate and effective acceptance of foreign human resources. We interviewed Mr. Yosuke Kobayashi, Director of the Support Office, to find out what is behind the problem and what JICA can do to help.
Is Japan a safe, secure and attractive place to work?
Bus routes are being reduced or eliminated, hospitals are closing, and the effects of labor shortages are spreading throughout the country. Along with women and the elderly, foreign human resources are expected to be the new labor force.
The number of foreigners working in Japan has been gradually increasing since the 1990s, reaching a record high of approximately 1.82 million in 2022. However, the number will not be able to keep pace with the declining birthrate and aging population, and some estimates indicate that by 2030 there will be a shortage of 630,000 workers to meet the demand of approximately 4.19 million workers. (Presented by Sadako Ogata Peace and Development Institute, JICA).
In order for Japanese society to maintain its vitality, Japan must be chosen by foreign workers as a place to live and work. As other countries face declining birthrates, aging populations, and fierce competition for human resources, is Japan a safe, secure, and attractive place for foreign workers to work?
Many of the foreign workers come from developing countries. While there have been many successful cases, it is very unfortunate that there have been problems with working conditions and human rights violations as reported in the media. If such problems continue amid the record depreciation of the yen, foreign human resources may leave Japan at an accelerated pace, which would damage the relationship of trust that JICA has built with developing countries through its development cooperation. We believe that this is a major problem.
Mr. Yosuke Kobayashi, Director of JICA’s Foreign Talent Acceptance Support Office. Mr. Kobayashi has long been involved in efforts in the areas of governance and healthcare, including “Business and Human Rights.
Utilizing Knowledge Cultivated through Development Cooperation to Support the Acceptance of Foreign Human Resources
Regarding the troubles surrounding foreign human resources and their backgrounds, Mr. Kobayashi points out that many of these problems are connected from their home countries.
For example, the following problems need to be addressed from the outbound side: the migrants may have large debts in their home countries in order to pay commissions to intermediaries; they may not be able to assert their rights even if they are forced to work in a job or in a working environment that is not what they want; they may not have sufficient information about job placement and working conditions beforehand, resulting in a mismatch of skills; they may not be well prepared in Japanese and skills prior to coming to Japan, and thus may not fit in at work or in the community. The problems of being isolated and unable to fit in at the workplace or in the local community due to a lack of Japanese language and skills preparation before coming to Japan need to be addressed from the outbound side.
It is only natural that we need to raise awareness of human rights on the part of the host country. In addition, there are various problems in the process leading up to their arrival in Japan. I believe that JICA has a role to play in this process.
Against this backdrop, JICA established the “Office for Supporting the Acceptance of Foreign Human Resources” within the Organization in April 2021. This is to utilize its long years of experience, knowledge, and network in various fields of development cooperation in developing countries, such as agriculture, industrial development, and legal system development, for multicultural activities and support for the acceptance of foreign human resources.
JICA has long cooperated with developing countries in fostering human resources and improving policies and systems, and in doing so has built an extensive network of contacts with government officials, Japanese experts, and volunteers in developing countries. In addition, JICA has the necessary bases in Japan and around the world to promote its activities. We believe this is a great advantage in helping to resolve issues in both developing countries and Japan, the sending country.
Both Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (JOCV) experience and JICA are one of the most important assets. At “Farm Taya” in Fukui Prefecture, the representative, Mr. Taya, is using his own experience to improve the environment for sending and receiving trainees from Indonesia and to support their career development after returning home.
Think about what you can do for the development of developing countries
Sending and receiving foreign human resources have the following three positive effects: (1) the foreign human resources themselves can earn a high income and acquire skills; (2) the social and economic development of their home countries can benefit from the remittances they send home and the technology they bring back, creating business opportunities with Japan; and (3) the Japanese society and economy can benefit from the local revitalization and securing of labor force, There are three positive factors.
In this context, the most important role that JICA should play is “to contribute positively to the social and economic development of developing countries, while also being aware of the flow of ideas into the Japanese society and economy,” says Kobayashi.
In order to clarify the significance of JICA’s efforts and to promote collaboration and co-creation with various stakeholders while leveraging its own strengths, in June 2023, the Foreign Talent Acceptance Support Office established three new guidelines for its efforts: “human resource development for economic growth (in both sending and receiving countries),” “respect for human rights of migrant workers,” and “building a society in harmony with foreign human resources.
Examples of the latest initiatives based on these guidelines will be presented.
Human Resource Development for Economic Growth (for both the sending country and Japan)” – Initiatives in Indonesia
In September of this year, JICA dispatched an advisor to Indonesia, which has a population of 270 million (4th largest in the world) and is eager to send workers overseas. With a view to ensuring that these workers can smoothly work and settle in Japan and even play an active role in their home countries after returning to their home countries, JICA aims to send 100,000 workers to Japan over the next five years while strengthening Japanese language and skills education and the dissemination of information on working in Japan, and will also focus on fostering human resources who can contribute to the development of Indonesia. We will also focus on fostering human resources that will contribute to Indonesia’s development.
Respect for Human Rights of Migrant Workers in Vietnam
In Vietnam, which sends a quarter of all foreigners working in Japan, the current situation is that people come to Japan without obtaining and understanding appropriate information about traveling, working, and living in Japan locally, or pay high commissions to brokers. To correct this problem, JICA launched the “Project to Support Access to Job Information for Vietnamese Applicants for Overseas Employment” in August of this year. In cooperation with the Vietnamese labor authorities, a new recruitment system has been established to provide correct job information and promote direct application, aiming to eliminate high commissions, exploitation, and mismatches.
Building a Society in Harmony with Foreign Residents” – Disaster Prevention Training for Foreign Residents in Japan
JICA-Kansai conducts disaster prevention training in cooperation with companies that employ foreign nationals, local governments, and international associations. In order to enhance the disaster preparedness of foreign residents, we teach them how to effectively gather information in multiple languages in the event of a disaster, and how to prepare and take measures for evacuation at home. Through a series of such training sessions, we are fostering foreign disaster prevention leaders. We aim to create a safe and secure environment for foreign residents in Japan and contribute to multicultural conviviality by building a cooperative system that includes foreign residents in the event of a disaster.
Disaster preparedness training for the growing number of Vietnamese living in Japan in March 2022.
Toward a Japan and a World Where No One is Left Behind
The diversity brought by foreign human resources can be a driving force to create vitality in society. However, in order for this to function, the cooperation of actors throughout society, including governments, international organizations, corporations, local governments, schools, and local residents, is indispensable to address the respective challenges of sending and receiving countries.
What is needed to build a prosperous society where we can live together? In September, JICA launched a donation program to support efforts in the field of multicultural conviviality and acceptance of foreign human resources in order to generate interest and support for the various issues surrounding the acceptance of foreign workers and to promote active dialogue in society.
I hope that by providing these opportunities, more people will become interested in this issue and the efforts that JICA is making with various partners to solve it. As a result, I hope to bring Japan and the world one step closer to a world where the dignity of all people is protected under the SDGs philosophy of ‘no one is left behind.
© Source JICA
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