summary
Date: July 5, 2022
Organized by: Responsible Foreign Worker Acceptance Platform (JP-MIRAI) Secretariat
Location: International Conference Hall, 2nd floor of JICA Ichigaya Bldg. and webinar via Zoom
Main Participants
speaker
Opening Remarks: Akihiko Tanaka, JICA President
Guest Speech: Mr. Gen Nakatani, Advisor to the Prime Minister for International Human Rights Affairs
Guest Speech: Mr. Yasutomo Suzuki, Mayor of Hamamatsu City (video message)
Explanation of JP-MIRAI’s activities (Portal/Assist/Friend) Kenichi Shishido, JP-MIRAI Secretariat/JICA Senior Advisor
Panel Discussion: Session 1; “Business and Human Rights” and the Role of JP-MIRAI
Speakers (in no particular order): Mr. Reinori Takazawa, Director, Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs Division, Foreign Policy Bureau, Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Ms. Miwa Yamada, Senior Research Fellow, Center for Frontier Research, Institute of Developing Economies, JETRO; Mr. Makoto Yasui, General Manager, Global Human Resources Support, Member Store Support Department, Operations Division, Seven-Eleven Japan Co. Mr. Makoto Yasui, Senior Managing Director, Seven Global Linkage; Mr. Hideyuki Hirakawa, Deputy Secretary General/International Director, All Japan Council of Metalworkers’ Unions; Mr. Yozo Nakao, Social Group, Sustainability Promotion Department, Global Corporate Headquarters, Ajinomoto Co.
Panel Discussion: Session 2; Efforts to Better Accept Foreigners
Speakers (in no particular order): Ms. Nobuko Tanaka, Assistant Director, Residency Support Division, Residency Management Support Department, Immigration and Residency Management Agency, Ms. Midori Arai, Coordinator, CINGA, Ms. Hisakuni Hanai, Chief, Multiculturalism and International Affairs Division, Citizen Collaboration Department, Toyohashi City (online) Mr. Hideaki Yahiro, Executive Director, SHARE International Health Cooperation Citizens’ Association, a non-profit organization
Closing Remarks: Kimitoshi Yabuki, President, JP-MIRAI Services, Inc.
participant
153 members and general public (including 117 online)
Background and Objectives
On July 5, the Platform for Responsible Recruitment of Foreign Workers (JP-MIRAI), for which JICA serves as joint secretariat, held a launch event for the JP-MIRAI Consultation and Relief Pilot Project under the title “JP-MIRAI’s Challenge Toward a ‘Japan of Choice’.
In 2022, JICA’s Ogata Research Institute announced its forecast for the number of incoming foreign workers in 2040 as 6.72 million, which is approximately four times the 1.72 million in 2020. On the other hand, it is also predicted that it will be difficult for Japan to secure the human resources it needs in Asia and other countries that send human resources to Japan as their incomes rise due to economic development and their declining birthrates and aging populations continue to advance.
Under these circumstances, Japan needs to become the “country of choice” for young people in sending countries because it is safe and secure and attractive in terms of career development and other aspects.
In the international community, the keyword “human rights” is being emphasized as a universal value from a diplomatic perspective, and as efforts to promote business and human rights are progressing in Europe, the United States, and elsewhere, Japanese companies are under pressure to develop a system to promote respect for human rights, especially in their supply chains.
JP-MIRAI recently launched the “Consultation and Relief Pilot Project” in May 2022 to support private companies’ efforts in business and human rights, and simultaneously launched a pilot project with JP-MIRAI members to help improve their readiness to accept foreign nationals. At the launch of the new initiative, we held a dialogue with stakeholders on the ideal form of the project.
Contents
JP-MIRAI Consultation and Relief Pilot Project Launch Event
At the beginning of the meeting, President Tanaka made opening remarks, and communicated that in order for Japan to develop sustainably, it is important to envision a “co-creation” society in which both foreigners and Japanese can play an active role, and in which all people can have safe, secure, and diverse opportunities. JICA will also make possible efforts to help developing countries and Japan achieve the SDGs together.
As a guest speaker, Mr. Nakatani, Advisor to the Prime Minister for International Human Rights Affairs, stated that the government aims to create a diverse and vibrant society where all people, including foreign nationals, can live safely and securely, and can fully demonstrate their abilities. With the growing importance of SDGs and “business and human rights” in the international community, the treatment of foreign workers in Japan has become an important theme that could affect the securing of foreign workers and branding of the country, and the significance of the JP-MIRAI Consultation and Relief Pilot Project was highly appreciated. The significance of the JP-MIRAI Consultation and Relief Pilot Project was highly evaluated, and expectations were expressed for JICA to lead JP-MIRAI by utilizing its network and knowledge that it has built through human resource development in developing countries.
He highly appreciated the significance of the JP-MIRAI Consultation and Relief Pilot Project and expressed his expectations for JICA to lead JP-MIRAI by utilizing the network and knowledge that JICA has built through human resource development in developing countries. In his video message, Mayor Hamamatsu introduced new initiatives and expressed his expectations for JP-MIRAI, such as the establishment of an excellent company certification system for foreign human resources and the approval of start-up VISA for foreign entrepreneurs, as the city with the largest number of Brazilians in Japan considers foreigners as important partners.
In Panel Discussion 1) “Business and Human Rights and the Role of JP-MIRAI,” a variety of speakers introduced their efforts. Mr. Takazawa, Director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, explained that while the establishment of a remedy mechanism is at the core of the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and is a priority for the next decade, the JP-MIRAI pilot project is expected to help companies that have difficulty establishing an effective remedy mechanism on their own. He said that the JP-MIRAI Pilot Project is a very significant initiative for the steady implementation of the Guiding Principles and Japan’s Action Plan on Business and Human Rights.
In Panel Discussion 2) “Efforts for Better Acceptance of Foreign Residents,” the speakers introduced their efforts and discussed how to deliver information to those who need it, and the need for the consultation service and information providers to gain the trust of the public. He also expressed his hope that the JP-MIRAI pilot project would be useful and that more companies would participate in it.
On the same day, the “JP-MIRAI Members’ Action Principles Practice Activity Report Meeting” was held, where seven JP-MIRAI member organizations and individuals reported on their activities in the second half of 2021, and presented case studies of their practices based on the five action principles of the platform. They shared their diverse activities, including an NPO established by high school students, a manufacturer that has been working on CSR audits on the occasion of the Athens Olympics, and an organization that promotes easy Japanese through songs.
Speakers (in no particular order): ASICS Corporation, Mizuno Corporation, Aeon Co.
Materials
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