A record 9,753 foreign technical trainees went missing in Japan in 2023, the Immigration Services Agency (ISA) said Friday.
Of the total, 1,765 were Myanmar nationals who had fled conflict in their home country. Many were granted a “designated activities” residential status as part of an emergency measure to allow them to stay in Japan.
A significant number of Myanmar nationals come to Japan through the trainee program with the intention of switching to a different visa category soon after to avoid having to go back home.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.