The number of foreign worker is increasing in Japan. In 2009, there were 562,818 foreigners who had a job in Japan. The breakdown is; Chinese 44.3%, Brazilian 18.5%, Filipino 8.7%, Australian and New Zealander 7.8%, Korean 4.5%, Peruvian 3.3%, and other 12.9%. We may sometime see foreign worker in town, but we don’t know them well. Why did they come to Japan? How did they get a job in Japan? Let me take an example for this.

I work at an Indian restaurant as a part-time job. There are 5 Indian workers in the restaurant. Most of them work in this restaurant through an introduction from their friend, relative, or family, and they decided to work in Japan because they can earn more money in Japan than in India. They send most of salary to their family they live in India. I think they spend a hard and lonely life in Japan. They always work from 10:00a.m to 9:00p.m. They can go back to India for only 3 months on every 2 years. Most of them have wife and children in India, but they can’t often get in touch with their family. And they can’t speak Japanese well, so when they have a break day, they are usually in a home.

Their friend is only Indian and Nepalese even though they live in Japan. Moreover before I happened to see their salary amount and I was surprised because their salary is too lower than thought. (but I can’t tell in detail here…) I suspect that their condition of work goes against the law, but I’m not sure. Also Indian worker in this restaurant understand that their salary is too lower than Japanese, but they have no power to improve their condition.

In Japan there are companies they employ foreigner illegally. I think their condition should be improved. One of reason for this is that there are few chances that their condition becomes public. We should know more about Japan because we all lead a life in Japan. And we should make a rule that the employer of foreign worker have to show them the labor low of Japan. The number of foreign worker will be increasing. Now is time when we change our attitude to them, isn’t it?

by Moe Kawamura