-
·
Japan modifies nursing licensure exam for foreigners
The nursing licensure exam in Japan for foreigners will be modified in February in the hope that more foreign nurses will be able to pass it and eventually work with Japanese patients, a Philippine official said Tuesday. Philippine Overseas Employment Agency chief Jennifer Manalili said Japan has agreed to put English translations beside some Japanese…
-
·
Abuse rife within trainee system, say NGOs
Foreigners report harsh job conditions, poverty-line pay, mistreatment under notorious program Started in 1993, the aim of the Technical Intern Training Program is to “provide training in technical skills, technology (and) knowledge” to workers from developing countries, according to the Japan International Training Cooperation Organization (JITCO), which oversees the program. But in practice, say advocacy…
-
·
Diplomatic issues close door on families seeking status
Around 300 Kurds live in and around Kawaguchi and neighboring Warabi. Most came to Japan in the 1990s, and many have applied for refugee status due to persecution by the Turkish government. But support organizations say not a single one of them has been recognized. According to the Justice Ministry’s Immigration Bureau, there were 1,599…
-
·
Will there ever be a rainbow Japan?
Government statistics suggest multiculturalism is on the rise, but social organizations for mixed-race Japanese say ‘hafus’ still face challenges Japan, which closed its borders from 1639 to 1854 and later colonized its neighbors, has an uneasy history with foreigners, national identity, and multiculturalism. Yet government statistics and grassroots organizations say multiculturalism in the famously insular…
-
·
Nova chief’s sentence shortened
The Osaka High Court on Thursday shaved 18 months off the 3 1/2-year prison term of the founder and former president of Nova Corp., who was convicted of embezzling ¥320 million from the defunct English school chain’s employee benefit fund. The counsel for Nozomu Sahashi, 59, plans to appeal. Sahashi pleaded not guilty at his…
-
·
High Court Gives Ex-Nova President 2-Yr Jail Term For Embezzlement
The Osaka High Court on Thursday sentenced the founder and former president of English conversation school operator Nova Corp. to two years in prison for embezzling 320 million yen of employees’ benefit funds, reducing a lower court sentence of three years and six months. The defense counsel for Nozomu Sahashi, 59, plans to appeal the…
-
·
Ex-Nova president sentenced to 2-year prison term for embezzlement
The former president of English conversation school Nova was handed a two-year prison sentence for corporate embezzlement by the Osaka High Court on Dec. 2. Nozomu Sahashi, 59, had been convicted of the offence by a lower court and sentenced to a three-year, six-month prison term in August last year. The high court decision on…
-
·
Japan lifts visa restrictions for foreign dentists, nurses
The Justice Ministry on Tuesday revised an ordinance concerning residence visas, lifting a set of restrictions for foreign dentists, nurses, maternity nurses and health workers who have Japanese state qualifications. The step, which abolished limits on the number of years and the extent of areas in which they can work in the country, was taken…
-
·
Selective immigration for highly skilled urged
The Japan Forum on International Relations, a Tokyo-based think tank, urged the government Wednesday to accept more foreign workers and tourists while being selective in accepting long-term residents. It says municipalities and other entities should direct foreign residents who aren’t proficient in daily Japanese to take language courses and provide them with opportunities to master…
-
·
Japan urged to welcome more skilled migrants
Under the proposal of the Japan Forum on International Relations, Japan would adopt a skills-based migration system and put in place social integration policies to prevent the kind of tensions seen in Europe over immigration. While Japan historically has been reluctant to allow large-scale immigration, some opinion leaders now see it as the only way…