The Actuality of Accepting Technical Intern Trainees in Japan and the Reconsideration of the Technical Intern Training Program

The Technical Intern Training Program was established as a formal program in 1993 and was implemented with the "Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act" and related ordinances as its legal basis. The objectives and purpose of the Technical Intern Training Program are to transfer skills, technologies, or knowledge, etc. accumulated in Japan to developing and other regions and to promote international cooperation by contributing to the development of human resources who can play roles in the economic development of those developing region. However, in some situations organizers have deviated from the original intent of the program, so the "Act on the Appropriate Implementation of Technical Intern Training for Foreign Nationals, and Protection of Technical Intern Trainees" was promulgated in 2016 and came into effect on November 1, 2017 in order to establish the protection of technical intern trainees and achieve the original purpose of the program more smoothly than before. However, the "Basic Policy on Economic and Fiscal Management and Reform 2018" has made it clear that the Japanese government has changed its attitude towards the policies on human resources from overseas. The purpose of this study is to make clear about the discrepancy between the Technical Intern Program and the reality of employment situation of technical intern trainees. This study analyzed the geographical distribution and characteristics of technical intern trainees in Japan. Based on these analyses, I reviewed the Technical Intern Training Program in the timing that the Japanese government's policy on human resources from overseas has already been changed to regular labor force in 2018. As a result of this study, the Technical Intern Training Program itself is now a dead letter and ought to be abolished since the original intent of the program has lost touch with reality.