Two months ago in May, a joint initiative consisting of eight Japanese companies -- including Toyota Motor and Seven & i Holdings -- launched the operations of a new agency designed to protect foreign workers. The agency will be managed by the Japan Platform for Migrant Workers towards Responsible and Inclusive Society, or JP-Mirai. According to JP-Mirai's website, "[JP-Mirai] is a platform that brings together multiple stakeholders including local governments, employers, NPOs, academics, and lawyers to essentially solve foreign labor issues."
Part of this agency includes a hotline available for foreign workers in participating companies to receive advice and assistance on topics ranging from employment, personal, and health-related issues. The hotline is available through call or chat in nine languages, including Tagalog, Mandarin, and Vietnamese. In 2022, up to 20,000 workers will have access to this agency's services. The goal is to expand this reach to 200 thousand in 2023 and 1 million in 2024.
The eight companies involved will share costs for operating the initiative, with the aim of providing better working conditions for their foreign workers. Recent cases in the news have focused on foreign workers (in particular, one case involving a Vietnamese worker) who have been physically and mentally abused by their employers in Japan. These workers feel unable to return home, receive legal help, or even change jobs, as they may not have the resources to break free of their environment. Concurrently, the United Nations is urging businesses to create mechanisms allowing workers to bring complaints under its Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.
As Japan's population continues to decline due to an aging population and low birth rate, more foreign workers will be necessary in the future to fill in the labor gaps. However, working conditions in Japan -- and securing a visa in the first place, especially during COVID-19 -- have in the past been barriers to the country being competitive for workers. As the need for foreign labor becomes more vital to Japan's economy, it is important that Japan cultivate and develop an environment where foreign workers can thrive.
