A government panel of experts released a draft report Wednesday on a new system that would replace the foreign technical intern program, with various changes including allowing workers to switch jobs within the same industry if they meet certain requirements.
The report clearly states that the new system is aimed at “securing and developing human resources in fields facing labor shortages.” The technical intern program has been criticized for being promoted as a way for foreign workers to learn new skills, when in reality many companies were accepting workers only as a form of cheap labor.
Akihiko Tanaka, who heads the panel, said after the meeting Wednesday that while the current program has produced some positive results, there is also an undeniable discrepancy between the systems original goals and the human rights violations that formed as a result.