"The life of Japanese trainees is worse than that of northern Myanmar?"
In recent years, the news that the situation of the trainees in Japan is not as good as that of the horses has occurred frequently.
12 hours a day in front of the sewing machine, they are confiscated their passports, their wages are suspended, and they have to repay intermediary fees.
In order to escape this inhumane life, only in 2023, there are trainees choosing to "disappear".
If it is so bad, why are there others going to follow?
A Cambodian girl's two-year nightmare
"Little sister, do you want to go to Japan to make a lot of money?"
In a small village in Cambodia's Kampong Cham province in 2022, agents in suits and ties are knocking on doors.
They brought news that made the whole village boil: going to Japan as a trainee can earn $1,000 a month.
This is a "good opportunity" for farmers in the village who earn less than $100 a month to change their fate.
So, despite the exorbitant brokerage fees, 23-year-old Sophia managed to scrape together enough money.
However, after arriving in Japan, what awaits her is not the beautiful life depicted by the intermediary.
At the time, Sophia was assigned to a remote strawberry farm, where her owner was a 58-year-old middle-aged man.
From the first day he arrived in Sofia, he stared at her, always looking for reasons, calling her to the office alone.
From verbal harassment to physical abuse, in the end, she was directly and forcibly assaulted, causing her to become pregnant.
But even if Sophia was pregnant, this man's evil deeds did not end.
He forced her to have an abortion and then continued to commit violence.This hellish life, Sophia lived for two years.
Did she ever think about running away? Of course I have. But her passport was locked in the boss's safe. Where could she escape without any money?
And she borrowed money from Japan. If she went back empty-handed like this, she would not only become the laughing stock of the whole village, but also her debt would not be paid.
Later, she ended up intolerant and went to the police, and the police sent her away with a "insufficient evidence."
So she did not give up, but joined two other Cambodian girls on the farm to bring the devil to court.
In fact, Sophia's experience is not unique. Almost every female trainee who goes to Japan has been sexually harassed.
If you think it’s already bad enough, there’s something even more striking.
Data showed that between 2014 and 2016, 22 trainees died in Japanese factories and farms.
In 2023, out of Japan’s 410,000 trainees, 10,000 would choose to “disappear.”
More of an escape than a missing one. They would rather be black workers without status than continue to live that inhuman life.
The non-human environment
What kind of life is that?
They live in a tin house converted from a container, and more than a dozen people are crowded together, which is like a steamer in summer and an ice cellar in winter.
Even so, they each pay 20,000 yen a month in rent, which is more expensive than in central Tokyo.
In the sewing factory, workers have to work 12 hours in a row.
In 2017, there was a Chinese female worker's finger, because of the long operation of the sewing machine, a layer of skin dropped down.
But her hourly wage is only 300 yen, less than 20 yuan. You know, the average hourly wage in Japan is more than 800 yen.
Even more terrifying are those Japanese bosses who make the wrong clothes and shake their heads over their faces as blasphemy.
The temper came up, copying what was around and smashing into the worker’s head.
A Vietnamese guy was bullied by his Japanese colleagues for two years, beaten every day, had several teeth knocked out, and had four stitches on his lips.
He went to complain, and the answer he got was, “Tolerate again.”
In addition, some trainees were sent to Fukushima to clean up nuclear waste without knowing it.
What is the difference between this kind of behavior and murder for money?
Seeing here you may ask, since it is so bad, why is there anyone else going to follow?
The answer is simple: cheated. Intermediaries publicize everywhere in the countryside, saying that going to Japan can earn tens of thousands a month and learn technology.
Farmers who understand these curves? listen to the anger and anger, and sell iron to the pot.
Ms. Fan, 36, used to earn seven or eight thousand yuan a month by doing small business. I heard that someone in the village went to Japan to make a fortune, and she also believed in the intermediary.
Ms. Wang of Jiangxi worked in a clothing factory, listening to the workers say to go to Japan can make a lot of money, paid money on the spot.
It was only after Japan discovered that it fell into a well-designed trap.
As soon as they landed, their passports were taken away, their visas were also tied to their employers, and they wanted to change jobs?
They don’t know the language, they don’t know life, they can’t escape even if they want to escape.
To put it bluntly, the so-called trainee system is a scam designed by Japan to obtain cheap labor.
Well-designed exploitation
Japan's trainee system was introduced in 1981 and was indeed under the banner of cultivating technical talents at the beginning.
However, as Japanese society ages and young people are unwilling to do dirty work, this system has completely changed.
Now the trainees are doing "3K jobs" that Japanese people don't want to touch-dangerous, dirty and hard.
Japanese companies have a good plan. Hire a local worker, and the salary, insurance, and vacation are all indispensable.
What about hiring a trainee? The cost is less than one-tenth.
What's even better is that trainees must pay pension insurance, but they have to leave after staying for up to three years and cannot enjoy any benefits at all.
The money went to Japanese government pockets.
In addition, the intermediary also makes money in this chain, and the trainee must pay the intermediary fees, collateral, and deposit.
When you arrive in Japan, the factory has to pay the intermediary a monthly management fee of 30,000 to 50,000 yen.
Japan's receiving institutions also want a piece of the pie. After peeling layer by layer, the wool grows on the sheep, and the last one to pay the bill was the trainee.
Due to this, the United Nations human rights organization has repeatedly criticized Japan's trainee system as "modern slavery."
But the Japanese government turned a deaf ear. Why? Because they can't do without these cheap labor.
Without trainees, who will farm? Who goes to work in the factory? Who will take care of the elderly? The Japanese themselves don't want to.
However, Japan is now releasing news that it will abolish the trainee system in 2027 and change it to a "specific skills visa."
It sounds good, you can stay for a long time, and you can also take your family with you, but many are worried that it is just about changing soup without medication.
The essence is to introduce cheap labor force, just to change a good name.
Thankfully, more and more people are beginning to wake up.
Chinese embassies and consulates in Japan have strengthened the protection of trainees, made regular visits and provided legal aid.
Some brave trainees also began to take up legal weapons to defend their rights. Although the road was difficult, I finally saw a ray of light.
For everyone, if you want to work in Japan, you must not fall into the trap of trainees.
When you hear the intermediary say "labor visa", "working visa" and "trainee visa", you must also be vigilant of 120,000 points.
Because of the formal work visa in Japan, the scientific name is "Technology, Humanities, and International Business Residence Qualification".
Furthermore, the sky does not fall.Those shortcuts that seem to change fate often lead to the abyss.
conclusion
The existence of the traineeship system tears away the hypocrisy of Japanese society's bright appearance. Those who are still considering going to Japan as traineeship friends, hope you think about it. Instead of combining youth and health in foreign countries, rather than striving hard at home. After all, dignity and life are more important than money.
[Reference]
Observer.com-2017-02-16-"Japanese employers exploit Chinese" trainees "? Tens of thousands of trainees in Japan were sexually harassed after doing dirty work"
The Paper News-2017 - 02 -26-"China trainees encounter exploitation in Japan. How can the Embassy in Japan evade labor disputes"