7,247 Japan Workplaces Employing Foreign Trainees Broke Law

Illegal practices were uncovered at 7,247 workplaces in Japan that employed foreign trainees last year, the government said recently, substantiating criticism of companies participating in the controversial, decades-old program for their alleged human rights infringements, Kyodo News reported.

Photo Insert: Among the violations uncovered by the inspections, 2,326 cases, or 23.7 percent, were in breach of safety rules such as unsafe use of machines, while 1,666 cases, or 16.9 percent, were related to unpaid wages.

The most common violations involved breaches of safety rules, with the second most common being unpaid wages, according to data based on the labor ministry's on-site inspections at 9,829 companies alleged to have engaged in misconduct.

The data came as the government considers overhauling the trainee program, which was established in 1993.

The system was introduced primarily for the agricultural and manufacturing sectors but has been under increased scrutiny following multiple allegations of trainee harassment and abuse.

Among the violations uncovered by the inspections, 2,326 cases, or 23.7 percent, were in breach of safety rules such as unsafe use of machines, while 1,666 cases, or 16.9 percent, were related to unpaid wages, with one firm found to have made four foreign trainees work over 100 hours of illegal overtime a month, Mainichi Shimbun reported.

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