When a young Vietnamese woman found out late last year that she was pregnant aft...
TOKYO - When a young Vietnamese woman found out late last year that she was pregnant after arriving in Japan on a “technical trainee” visa, she was given a stark choice: “Have an abortion or go back to Vietnam.”
Buoyed by hopes of higher wages but burdened by loans, Vietnamese youth - the fastest-growing group of foreign workers in Japan - will be among those most affected by a new scheme to let in more blue-collar workers that kicks off in April. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, whose conservative base fears a rise in crime and a threat to the country’s social fabric, has insisted that the new law, enacted in December, does not constitute an “immigration policy.”“In fact, Japan is already a country of immigrants. But because they say it is not an ‘immigration policy’ and the premise is that people will not stay, they only take temporary steps,” said Japan Civil Liberties Union director Akira Hatate.
Because trainees are not permitted to switch employers, leaving their jobs usually means losing legal visa status. A few go to shelters run by non-profit groups or get help from unionists; many disappear into a labor black market. The textile industry was not included in the new visa program after coming under fire for the high number of labor violations in its trainee programs.“Life in Japan is convenient, and the air is clean,” she told Reuters in careful Japanese during a break from work.
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