Japan's trainee watchdog nudged abused Vietnamese trainees to quit their union instead of protecting them, then settled and expressed regret.
Subject of this story
What happened
Three Vietnamese women in Japan's Technical Intern Training Program in Miyagi Prefecture reported unpaid wages, harassment and workplace injuries in February 2022; their supervising organisation told them to go home, and the Organization for Technical Intern Training (OTIT), the government-authorised body that oversees the program, treated it as a dispute in which both sides were at fault. After the women joined a labour union, OTIT staff relayed that quitting the union was a condition for going back to work and sent emails appearing to urge them to leave it. In a court settlement on 31 October 2024, OTIT expressed regret for an inappropriate response that could threaten the right to organise and paid 700,000 yen.
Sources (2)
Response
Contacted and made an on-record admission — exact wording not on record.
What happened next (0)
No outcome recorded yet.