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DPJ postpones bill to grant local voting rights to permanent foreign residents
The government has abandoned proposing a bill to grant local voting rights to permanent foreign residents in Japan during the current Diet session, in the face of intense opposition from coalition partner People’s New Party (PNP). “It’s extremely difficult for the government to sponsor such a bill due to differences over the issue between the…
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No one-size-fits-all for foreign suffrage
How the rest of the world deals with aliens at the ballot box Support has been surprisingly muted for the Hatoyama administration’s push toward suffrage for foreign permanent residents, even among the constituencies such a law would enfranchise. The debate is definitely a hot one, sparking a number of protests against the plan around Tokyo,…
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Foreign trainees easily exploited as bosses take advantage of system
The controversy should have heated up after last month’s ruling by the Kumamoto District Court, which found in favor of four female Chinese trainees who sued their employer and the agent that arranged for that employment. The trainees were awarded unpaid wages amounting to ¥12.8 million as well as damages to the tune of ¥4.4…
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Survey: 14 prefectures against foreign suffrage
Fourteen of the nation’s 47 prefectural assemblies oppose or have called for prudence in granting permanent foreign residents the right to vote in local elections, a recent survey by the National Association of Chairpersons of Prefectural Assemblies has found. Of the 14, eight including Chiba and Ishikawa had previously voted in favor of enfranchising non-Japanese…
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14 Prefectures Oppose Allowing Foreigners to Vote in Local Elections
Local assemblies in 14 of Japan’s 47 prefectures have adopted statements in opposition to giving permanent foreign residents in Japan the right to vote in local elections since the Democratic Party of Japan took power last year, a Kyodo News tally showed Monday. Before the launch last September of the new government under Prime Minister…
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New visa rule on insurance to be deleted
Aim is to ease foreigners’ concerns The Immigration Bureau is planning to change a new guideline for foreign residents to ease concerns that those without social insurance will be forced to choose between losing their visa and entering the insurance system, a bureau official said Monday. But some foreigners warn the move won’t be enough…
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Foreigners win ¥17 million for trainee abuses
The Kumamoto District Court awarded more than ¥17 million in damages Friday to four Chinese interns who were forced to work long hours for low wages in Kumamoto Prefecture. The court ordered that the union Plaspa Apparel, which arranged the trainee work for the four, to pay ¥4.4 million and that the actual employer, a…
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Guiding hand for Indonesian nurses
Program helps hospital ease assimilation for newcomers Cultural barriers faced by Indonesian nurses who come to this country to work are gradually being lowered, but the government has yet to help the Japanese hospital staff adapt, according to Keio University professors who recently launched an in-house training program to teach the employees how best to…
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Japanese language a barrier for Indonesian and Filipino nurses
The Japanese health ministry has rejected a plan to make it easier for Indonesian and Filipino nurses to qualify for work in Japan. A 2008 Economic Partnership Agreement allows a number of Indonesian and Filipino nurses and caregivers to train and work in Japan. But the compulsory national exam and the level of language the…
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Ward to give dogs resident cards
Itabashi Ward in Tokyo will start issuing residential cards for dogs on Monday in a bid to encourage more pet owners to officially register the animals, according to ward officials. For registered dogs only, the cards will be issued free of charge at public health centers in the ward. The postcard-size residential card will bear…