KITAKYUSHU -- As Japan's population declines, foreign workers can be spotted in a growing number of places. Taking them in is part of the national government's strategy to deal with labor shortages, but many of the workers are dealing with issues stemming from being in an unfamiliar environment or facing harsh working conditions.

The foreign resident population of Japan has hit a record 2.74% of the total, but can the country become one that workers want to call home? The question was a factor in the historical election on Oct. 27, in which the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) lost its majority in the lower house.

Every morning, Tran The Vinh, a 29-year-old Vietnamese national, wakes at 5:30 a.m. and leaves his home in the city of Kitakyushu, Fukuoka Prefecture, for his job as a dispatch worker at an auto parts factory in the same prefecture's town of Kanda.

"Things are not yet stable, but I'm glad I chose to come to Japan," the worker reflected. After coming to Japan as a technical trainee in 2015, he worked at a rubber factory in Nagoya. He had needed to pay the agency that placed him there a fee totaling some 1.6 million yen (approx. $10,500), which he covered through a loan from his bank in Vietnam. With a monthly take-home pay of around 100,000 yen (about $650), after bank repayments and money sent back to his family he had "barely anything on hand."

He continued working eight-hour days that went to 10 hours if overtime was needed, working on his feet and surrounded by all foreign employees other than one or more site managers and others. He was often so tired he fell asleep as soon as he got home.

Although his job was tough, he was improving his Japanese language skills and getting used to life in this country. After his three-year training period was up he went back to Vietnam, but in 2020 came back to study Japanese economics and other things at a two-year junior college in Kitakyushu, aiming to further develop his Japanese ability and find a better workplace.

After graduating, he went on to work for an organization that supervises the technical trainee program before being introduced to his current job through an acquaintance. He now holds the title of factory production manager. Showing a smile, he said, "Before, I sometimes thought, 'I don't want to go to work,' due to staff shortages, communication problems and other issues. But now, the work environment is good and the work is rewarding."

1.65 times more foreign workers than decade ago

The national government in 2019 introduced the specified skills class of work visa, aiming to strategically relieve labor shortages in key industries. This June, laws were revised to bring in a successor to the technical trainee program, with the country set to accept unskilled foreign laborers through it starting as early as in 2027.

While that change is ongoing, the number of foreigners living in Japan reached a record high of approximately 3.41 million at the end of 2023, roughly 1.65 times more than the 2.07 million 10 years earlier at the end of 2013. By nationality, most were from China, followed by Vietnam and South Korea, with Vietnam seeing a 15.5% year-on-year increase.

Many of those from Vietnam are in their 20s or 30s, and some have married and had children here. Yet, due to linguistic and cultural differences, cases of isolation are not unheard of.

Ta Minh Thu, 37, the founder of the Vietnamese Association in Kitakyushu, arrived in Japan 14 years ago as an international student. At at least one point, she had felt afraid when someone loudly asked her if she understood Japanese. Although she married and had one or more children here, she was not fully aware of the system of maternity benefits while on leave, so went without receiving them. She also faced hurdles deciding on day care, and postponed her return to work. Lacking an environment in which she could easily voice her concerns, she has also fallen into bad health at times.

Because of those experiences, she wants to help other Vietnamese people in her situation. Her association offers counseling, Japanese language lessons, help finding work and guidance on administrative procedures, among other things.

Although efforts to provide multilingual services are progressing at administrative bodies, she believes the situation has not vastly improved since comprehensive support is still lacking. "I'd like there to be more complete services so that foreigners can live the same way as Japanese people without difficulty," she said of her hopes.

Develop overall human resources, not just language: expert

What does Japan need to do to become a place that foreign workers choose to live? Associate professor of international sociology, Takeshi Fukumoto of Nishikyushu University in southwestern Japan's Saga Prefecture, said, "Competition to secure excellent human resources is heating up around the world. I'd like to see the government focus on developing high-level human resources, including language skills."

While some local governments provide free Japanese language classes, Fukumoto commented, "The government should improve its support also in terms of whether they will adapt to Japan as an overall effort." He also pointed out regarding regional development that, "The outflow of human resources to urban areas is not just limited to Japanese people. The question is how to support foreigners as a community and prevent the outflow of human resources, and how the government can take the lead on this."

(Japanese original by Maika Hyuga, Kyushu News Department)