Top Japanese shipbuilder Imabari Shipbuilding lost its official certification for foreign technical intern programs for violating the industrial safety and health law, the Immigration Services Agency has said.
Following the administrative punishment, the shipbuilder will be unable to accept foreign trainees for the next five years, based on a related law. All such trainees currently working at Imabari Shipbuilding will be transferred to other companies.
The detail of the violation, for which the company has been fined, was not disclosed.
To accept foreign trainees, companies are required to get certification for a training program for each of them from the Organization for Technical Intern Training. The cancellation of certifications is the harshest penalty for companies accepting trainees.
According to the agency's announcement Tuesday, Imabari Shipbuilding saw its certification revoked for 2,134 programs, the largest number for a single company.
Until its punishment expires, the shipbuilder cannot accept foreign workers under the new training program for such people expected to be introduced in 2027.
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