In June, the Japanese Parliament amended legislation to introduce an employment system focused on skill development, gradually replacing the intern training program to better support immigrant retention.

Vietnamese workers at a factory in Japan.

Under the new system, host companies and workers will split travel costs to Japan, easing the financial burden on employees, said Ishii Chikahisa, First Secretary at the Japanese Embassy in Vietnam.

Additionally, workers who meet specific criteria will have the flexibility to change jobs rather than being restricted to a single employer for three years, Chikahisa said at a job fair for employment in Japan, held in Hanoi last week.

The revamped employment system will also serve as a preparatory pathway for Japan’s "Specified Skilled Worker" program, allowing workers to gain skills for more specialized roles and longer-term residency in Japan, he said.

While wages under the new program may not see immediate increases, Chikahisa noted they are expected to improve compared to those in the current Technical Intern Training Program, a government-run program that allows foreign workers to acquire industrial and vocational skills in Japan for up to five years. The technical intern program has been criticized for offering only minimum wages without bonuses or allowances and restricting job mobility.

Japan’s new scheme will also broaden eligibility by loosening restrictions and expanding sectors open to foreign workers. Skill exams for two new fields, including food service, will begin in December, with exams for the food and beverage manufacturing sector scheduled for February 2025.

"I appreciate Vietnamese youth choosing Japan as a place for personal and professional growth," said Chikahisa, affirming Japan’s commitment to fostering a positive environment where Vietnamese workers can thrive.

As of June 2024, Japan’s Vietnamese community exceeded 600,000, primarily comprising workers and students, making it the second-largest foreign community in Japan. In 2023 alone, approximately 80,000 Vietnamese workers arrived in Japan, the highest number among countries supplying labor to Japan.

The Technical Intern Training Program, introduced in 1992, has shown significant flaws over the years. The program has faced criticism for effectively using foreign workers as a source of cheap labor, addressing Japan’s labor shortages through technically low-wage, manual roles. In April 2023, a council of 15 experts, scholars, and local officials in Japan recommended the program's discontinuation.

With over 200,000 participants, Vietnam currently leads among the 15 countries sending technical interns to Japan. Vietnamese workers also constitute the largest proportion of participants in the Specified Skilled Worker program, totaling around 110,600 workers.

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