Problems of Foreign Worker Policy in Japan–From The Trade Union Viewpoint  

Oleh:

Ohmi, Naoto

Jenis: Article from Journal - ilmiah internasional
Dalam koleksi: Japan Labor Review vol. 2 no. 4 (2005), page 107-124.
Topik: foreign workers; foreign worker policy; trade union viewpoint
Fulltext: Naoto Oumi.pdf (203.54KB)

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Perpustakaan Pusat (Semanggi) Nomor Panggil: JJ134.2 Non-tandon: 1 (dapat dipinjam: 0) Tandon: tidak ada

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As of June 1, 2003, according to a survey of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, a total of 274,145 foreign nationals were working in Japan under contracts of direct employment (i. e., directly hired by their employers) or indirect employment (i. e., working for business establishments as dispatched or contract workers). Since the figure in 1994 was 130,030, it had more than doubled in less than ten years. Where the acceptance of foreign labor in Japan is concerned, some have called for positive acceptance, while others have been cautious, the question has been discussed for many years. In the 1970s, when labor was in great demand as the economy was growing, the Japanese government did not relax its position of “allowing only foreign nationals with special skills not in the possession of Japanese nationals to enter the country.” Later in the late 1980s, when the economy was in a “bubbly” boom, the issue became controversial, causing a stronger clash of opinions : a call for positive acceptance of foreign workers to alleviate the labor shortage caused by an increase in labor demand, and the opinion which gave priority to crack down on the increasing number of illegal workers. In this regard, the labor unions have taken a stand against acceptance of foreign workers simply as a remedy for the labor shortage, placing priority, rather, on improvement in the work environments of female, elderly and other vulnerable workers. In 1990, the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act (herein after referred to as “the Immigration Control Act”) was revised, expanding the types of status of residence for persons of Japanese descent, and opening the door more widely to foreign nationals who worked with their special technologies, skills and knowledge. Along with this revision, abetting illegal employment was ruled as a crime, as a means of halting the spread of foreign nationals illegally working in Japan. Around the time immediately following the revision of the Immigration Control Act, the Japanese economy plunged into a prolonged recession and deflation, and debates over the question of foreign workers simmered down. If foreign labor had been actively let into the Japanese labor market in the 1980s as the corporate side insisted, the prolonged recession occurring afterwards would have generated mass unemployment among non - Japanese residing in Japan. In recent years, debate over the issue has been stirred up again : as the problem of a lower birthrate and the graying of society has come to a fore, and the population is tending to shrink, the management side is again beginning to suggest promotion of positive acceptance of foreign workers. This movement now coincides with a focus on the issue in the negotiations for FTA and EPA which the Japanese government is having with ASEAN countries. “Movement of people” essentially differs from “movement of goods,” the reason being that the former may cause a wide range of problems, from the minor conflicts in everyday life likely to arise in contacts between people from different cultures, to problems concerning the protection of human rights, and even problems bearing on quintessential question of race and nationhood. This paper will present my views on the newly arisen question of foreign workers, from the viewpoint of a trade union officer.

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