Symposium on Promoting Support for Vietnamese Workers in Japan

The Vietnamese Embassy in Japan held a symposium on July 30, titled “Promoting Support for Vietnamese Workers in Japan to Integrate with Local Communities, Develop Themselves, and Advance Their Careers.” Ambassador Pham Quang Hieu, in his opening remarks, noted that nearly 600,000 Vietnamese are currently living, studying, and working across Japan’s 47 prefectures.

Representatives from various Japanese agencies, ministries, and all 47 prefectures attended the symposium. Ambassador Hieu emphasized that most Vietnamese workers are hardworking, eager to learn, and actively improving their Japanese skills to develop personally and professionally. He suggested that with Japan’s recent policy changes allowing skilled foreign workers to live and work long-term, the Vietnamese workforce in Japan will likely increase.

The symposium aimed to discuss with Japanese agencies and local authorities ways to make Japan an attractive, long-term destination for Vietnamese workers, fostering their integration into Japanese society and contributing to local socioeconomic growth.

Ambassador Hieu stressed the importance of continuous training for Vietnamese workers, including Japanese language, culture, and professional skills, both before and during their time in Japan.

Japanese Ministry of Justice official Yasuhisa Arai presented an overview of Japan’s new recruitment and training system, which includes a review of the technical internship program and introduces a system to address labor shortages in specific sectors. Representatives from Yamanashi, Kanagawa, and Aichi Prefectures highlighted local efforts to attract foreign labor, particularly Vietnamese.

In a presentation titled “Creating an Environment for Vietnamese People to Grow and Play Active Roles,” Mr. Furusawa Yoshihiko from Yamanashi outlined three goals: fostering a multicultural society, making the region attractive to foreign workers, and becoming a “second home” for them. He acknowledged the severe labor shortages in Yamanashi and expressed a desire to attract more foreign workers, particularly in the healthcare sector.

Mr. Tsukamoto Toshiharu, Director of the Kanagawa Labor Office, shared Kanagawa’s initiatives for Vietnamese residents, including annual Vietnam-Kanagawa festivals and strong cultural and economic exchanges with Vietnam. Kanagawa also hosts workshops to support international students in finding employment in the prefecture.

Aichi Prefecture’s Labor Director, Ms. Osaki Midori, discussed their “Initiatives for Receiving Foreign Workers and Coexisting with Foreigners” and noted that Vietnamese workers in Aichi, totaling over 58,000, are concentrated in high-skill sectors like engineering.

In closing, Mr. Yoshinori Otsuki from the Ueda City Research Society on Multicultural Coexistence called for a coordinated plan from central to local governments to better attract foreign labor.