Immigration authorities plan to allow 39 Filipinos they had previously ordered to return to their country to stay and work at a new workplace, immigration sources said Thursday.
The Takamatsu Immigration Bureau's decision is in line with the Justice Ministry's stance that the trainees should be given the chance to continue receiving training in Japan, the officials said.
The 39 Filipinos asked the immigration bureau in August to allow them to receive training at major shipbuilder Kawasaki Shipbuilding Corp., and their request is expected to be granted, the sources said.
In June, the Takamatsu Immigration Bureau told 45 Filipino trainees working at Kawaju Sakaide Service Co. and Aoi Kogyo Co. to return to their home country.
Kawaju Sakaide Service is a subsidiary of Kawasaki Shipbuilding and Aoi Kogyo supplied the major shipbuilder with pipes.
The bureau issued the instruction after it had found that the two firms paid the trainees below the legal minimum and it decided that it was inappropriate for the trainees to be sponsored by the firms.
The bureau now plans to issue permits to the trainees to allow them to change their workplace.