Foreign workers are becoming more essential to aging Japan, but they can be vulnerable in an unfamiliar land, so various stakeholders — the central government, municipalities, companies and support groups — need to work more closely together to foster a more inclusive environment.
That seemed to be a broad consensus among lawmakers, experts, companies and public officials who participated in a Tokyo forum on Monday, who in particular pointed out problems surrounding foreign workers on the controversial Technical Intern Training Program.
They said young technical interns can be isolated from their local communities because their interactions tend not to extend beyond the work sphere.