Addressing the foreign press, Justice Minister Sadakazu Tanigaki on Thursday reaffirmed his commitment to revamping the foreign trainee program, which critics say is rife with human rights violations.

Speaking at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan, Tanigaki trumpeted a range of initiatives Japan is undertaking to turn itself into a less discriminatory country, including one to lure more "highly skilled foreign professionals" to the world's third-largest economy and an overhaul of the so-called technical internship program.

Tanigaki said the Justice Ministry began reviewing proposals submitted by a private panel of outside experts last month, including suggestions to stiffen penalties for any employers found to be mistreating interns, such as by underpaying or abusing them.