VietNamNet Bridge – Guest workers management office in Japan, under the Vietnamese Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, reported receiving news on February, 22 about four Vietnamese workers being expelled from Japan.

Illustrative image -- File photo

The four guest labourers were accused of entering the country illegally.

Sendai City's immigration management department of Japan's Miyagi province discovered the violation and expelled the four from the country.

They were arrested by Fukushima Province's Aizubange City police in co-ordination with Sendai City's immigration management department on January 27, when working illegally at a local factory.

Aizubange City police's investigation reported that the Vietnamese workers had worked illegally from July 2015 to mid-January 2016.

They were Tran Van Anh, Pham Anh Tuan, and Ban Phuc An, who entered Japan on December 1, 2014, and Vu Ba Ban, who entered on April 15, 2014.

The Department of Overseas Labour (DOLAB) under the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs said the phenomenon of guest labourers working illegally in Japan affected the co-operation between the two countries and the prestige of Vietnamese labourers.

There was over 27,000 guest workers sent to Japan in 2015, accounting for 23.23 per cent of total Vietnamese guest workers abroad last year, according to DOLAB.

The number of guest workers to Japan in 2015 increased 136.6 per cent as against 2014.

Viet Nam has so far sent 100,000 guest workers to Japan, according to the department. Since 2014, the Japanese government had agreed to expand from 68 career fields to 71 to receive guest apprentices.

Viet Nam sees Japan as a key market for export labourers this year thanks to the increase in targets for recruiting workers and the high income for guest workers.

DOLAB has implemented measures to stabilise and develop sending Vietnamese workers to Japan. However, the department warned workers to obey the law, and not enter the country illegally by non-official ways such as studies or travel.

It also said Vietnamese labourers who worked legally in Japan should come back to the country on schedule, avoiding unfortunate risks such as lack of insurance, unsatisfactory salaries and working conditions, no legal protection and expulsion, which blocks their entry into Japan for good.

VNS