Legally, the time Ms. Liu spent ironing and packing women’s wear in Japan is considered “training.” She had entered the murky
and at times abusive world of Japan’s technical trainees — essentially second-class laborers brought in from abroad to fill jobs that Japanese citizens aren’t taking.
Her bosses, she said, “treat us like slaves.”
Ms. Liu and other Chinese workers at her factory came to Japan through a government-sponsored internship program.
Government data on workplace accidents shows that trainees are more likely to be hurt on the job than
Japanese workers — a result of poor training, language barriers or more dangerous assignments.
The co-op said that Kishimoto had been imposing “penalty” overtime on both Japanese and Chinese workers, in violation of labor rules, and
that Kishimoto had compensated the employees after the co-op intervened.
Japan’s total foreign-born labor force topped one million for the first time last year, according to the
government, lifted in part by people entering the country on visas reserved for technical trainees.
Though it would not open a path to immigration — workers would still be expected
to go home eventually — it would be more forthright than the current approach.
And because trainees cannot easily switch jobs — their visas tie them to a single company
— they lack what should be major leverage: the ability to walk out on a bad employer.