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Foreign temporary workers hit hard by layoffs speak out
Among the ranks of temporary workers, foreigners, who face a language barrier, are particularly vulnerable to Japan’s worsening economy, and on Sunday some 200 of those workers took to the streets of Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture in an unprecedented demonstration. The protesters called for greater job security and decried the sudden layoffs of temporary workers, which…
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Foreigners march for job security
About 250 non-Japanese staged a protest march Sunday on the streets of Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, to call for employment and assistance for foreign temporary workers who have lost their jobs to the deepening recession. They urged companies to stop firing temp workers. Manufacturers have announced plans in recent weeks to lay off large numbers of…
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Move to give foreigners same resident registration as Japanese
A bill to allow foreign residents to have the same resident registration as Japanese will be submitted to the regular Diet session early next year at the earliest, a government panel has announced. A meeting on the basic resident register for foreigners, which is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications…
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New registry rules for foreigners proposed
A government panel Thursday recommended creating a new system by 2012 to register foreign residents on a household basis, replacing the current individual-basis system, to better oversee their living conditions. Japanese nationals are registered on a household basis. In a report, the panel of experts under the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications also recommended…
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Asylum claims nearly double
Swamped, the Foreign Ministry is running out of support funds The number of people seeking asylum in Japan is surging toward a new record, and the government is grappling to deal with the flood, a nonprofit support organization has warned. Due to the rapid increase, to almost double the number of last year’s applicants, the…
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Revised Nationality Law enacted
The revised law was approved at a House of Councillors plenary session by a majority vote, although nine lawmakers from New Party Nippon and the People’s New Party, including NPN leader Yasuo Tanaka, voting against it. Haruko Arimura and Seiichi Eto, both Liberal Democratic Party members, and upper house Vice President Akiko Santo, former LDP…
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Law revision sparks family joy
Families seeking Japanese nationality for children born out of wedlock to Japanese fathers and foreign mothers were overjoyed at the passing of a revision to the Nationality Law on Friday. The revision will enable a child born out of wedlock whose parents are unmarried to obtain Japanese nationality and take his or her father’s name…
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Sour Strawberries Preview
Featuring interviews with Nambu FWC allies Kanagawa City Union, Zentoitsu Workers Union, activist Arudou Debito, and scenes from the March in March 2008 march through Shibuya, Tokyo:
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Japanese paternity gives nationality to kids born to unmarried foreign mothers
A revised bill of the Nationality Law that allows children born to unmarried Japanese fathers and foreign mothers to acquire Japanese nationality with only the father’s acknowledgement of paternity was enacted on Friday after passing in the House of Councillors plenary session. In article three of the current law, children of unmarried parents cannot obtain…
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Revised Nationality Law passed
The Diet on Friday passed a bill to revise the Nationality Law, which had been blasted as unconstitutional and discriminatory against children of mixed couples born out of wedlock. However, the Diet talks did not go as smoothly as planned because of concerns over fake nationality claims and even some xenophobic messages from the public.…