Hiroshima Pref. businesses, univ. strive to help foreign workers integrate, feel secure
With Japan's working-age population rapidly shrinking, the importance of foreign labor is growing. The chamber had been requesting the city and other local authorities to establish such courses since last year to support member businesses in tapping foreign talent. "Having a higher education institution like a university involved means companies can confidently send their workers to participate," the chamber explained, adding that the initiative aims to secure a stable workforce and promote the integration of foreign workers into the local community.
According to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, the number of foreign workers in Japan surpassed 2 million for the first time as of the end of October 2023, and reached about 2.3 million by the same time in 2024. By industry, manufacturing employs the largest number of foreign workers.
By residency status, the technical intern training program, originally intended for technology transfer to developing countries, accounted for 470,725 people. Meanwhile, the "Specified Skilled Worker" status, introduced in 2019 to address labor shortages, reached 206,995 people -- a nearly 50% increase from the previous year.
At Innoshima Tekko Ltd., a hull block manufacturer on Innoshima Island in Onomichi, Hiroshima Prefecture, where shipbuilding is a major industry, nearly half of the company's roughly 90 employees are from Indonesia or Vietnam.
One such employee, Suwatno, 38, from Java, Indonesia, first came to Japan in 2008 as a technical intern and worked at the company. After a period back home, he returned in 2023 under the Specified Skilled Worker (i) status, which allows a total stay of up to five years. He has since passed the exam for Specified Skilled Worker (ii), which has no limit on the number of renewals and allows family members to join him in Japan if requirements are met.
Now a manager, Suwatno mentors other foreign employees. "I want to keep doing the work I'm used to for a long time. I hope to bring my family here and live together," he said with a smile.
The company began accepting foreign workers in 1998. Initially, they were seen as supplementary staff, but as more young Japanese left the island and local hiring became difficult, foreign workers became the core of the workforce. Four years ago, a dedicated department was established to actively recruit and support talented foreign staff and help them settle in.
The firm holds Japanese language classes during lunch breaks, provides dormitories and prayer spaces for Muslim employees, and regularly conducts one-on-one meetings to discuss concerns including personal issues. It also offers transportation to medical facilities for employees who only have bicycles, and has reduced dormitory fees in response to the recent depreciation of the yen.
Yu Fukushima, section chief in charge of overseas operations, said, "After years of these efforts, Japanese employees' attitudes have changed. Having foreign workers stay long-term and being able to pass on our skills and know-how has become a source of pride and motivation for us."
The company is even considering building a mosque for its Indonesian Muslim employees. However, there are challenges that a single company cannot solve, such as the lack of rental housing for foreigners in the area and difficulties finding schools for employees' children if they bring their families from abroad. Fukushima added, "We hope the government will work to improve these aspects of the environment."
(Japanese original by Fusajiro Takada, Fukuyama Bureau)
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