Japan investigates ‘unforgivable’ workplace abuse of Vietnamese intern
- More than 350,000 trainees live in Japan under the state-sponsored scheme, which has been running for decades
- Its aim is to help workers from less developed economies gain work skills, but critics say some employers use the scheme as a cheap source of labour
Japan’s justice minister on Tuesday ordered the immigration agency to investigate violent workplace abuse allegedly suffered by a Vietnamese intern in a case that has heightened scrutiny of a state-sponsored training programme.
A video appearing to show the man being punched, kicked and battered with a stick by his co-workers at a construction company sparked outrage after it was released by the 41-year-old’s labour union and went viral this month.
The man, who came to Japan in 2019 under the internship scheme, has spoken out about his nearly two-year ordeal, saying he does not want other Vietnamese trainees in Japan to go through the same.
Justice Minister Yoshihisa Furukawa said he had instructed the immigration agency to “swiftly deal with” the case.
“Human rights violations against foreign technical interns, such as abuse, are absolutely unforgivable,” he told reporters.
More than 350,000 trainees live in Japan under the state-sponsored scheme, which has been running for decades.
Its stated aim is to help workers from less developed economies gain skills in industries such as agriculture, construction and food processing.
But critics say some employers use the programme as a cheap source of labour that puts the interns at risk of exploitation and abuse.