Speaking at a meeting with Vietnamese Ambassador to Japan Vu Hong Nam in Tokyo, Minister Kato emphasized that according to Japan’s law on labour, Vietnamese trainees are equal to Japanese workers.
They also pay insurance and enjoy unemployment insurance like Japanese workers. In case Vietnamese trainees cannot work, the Government of Japan will have policies to support them.
Overview the meeting (Photo: VNA)
According to the Minister, in recent years, apart from language barriers, Vietnamese trainees have also faced many difficulties in life such as administrative and medical procedures.
In addition, due to the impact of the acute respiratory infection COVID-19, many trainees are out of work. The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare has taken many measures to support them, such as establishing the Organization for Technical Intern Training (OTIT) to manage and support interns and setting up a hotline in Vietnamese language.
To enhance the coordination between the two countries' authorities in managing and supporting Vietnamese interns, Mr. Kato proposed setting up a hotline between the Ministry and the Vietnamese Embassy in Japan.
According to Mr. Kato, this shows the desire of the government of Japan to protect and help Vietnamese trainees.
For his part, Ambassador Vu Hong Nam agreed with Minister Kato's proposal to establish a hotline to strengthen coordination between the two sides in managing and supporting Vietnamese interns. At the same time, he expressed his wish to cooperate with the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare to promptly resolve arising problems related to the interns.
On this occasion, the Ambassador also expressed his thanks for the supportive measures of the Government of Japan in general, and the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare in particular, to the Vietnamese community in Japan after the COVID-19 outbreak, such as: providing direct subsidies in cash for Vietnamese workers in this country like Japanese citizens; supporting treatment for Vietnamese trainees who unfortunately are infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus; allowing interns to continue working until there is a flight bringing them back home.
On the Vietnamese side, Ambassador Vu Hong Nam shared that at present, the Embassy is maintaining four hotlines, operating 24 hours, to receive ideas and support for Vietnamese citizens affected by the pandemic.
According to statistics released by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, in October 2019, Vietnam had 401,326 employees in Japan, accounting for nearly 24.2% of the total number of foreign workers in this country and ranked 2nd position among countries having workers in Japan. Of them, trainees account for about 50%./.