Between 2018 and 2019, MMN organised a series of multi-stakeholder consultation meetings and workshops in Yangon, Myanmar (October 2018), Phnom Penh, Cambodia (February 2019), Tokyo, Japan (July 2019), and Hanoi, Vietnam (July 2019). The meetings were organised at a time when Mekong countries of origin are becoming important sources of migrant workers to fill gaps in Japan’s labour market. Under the newly created “Specified Skilled Workers” migration pathway, Japan has identified Cambodia, Myanmar and Vietnam to be key sources of migrant workers, and under the Technical Internship Training Program, increasing numbers of migrants from these three countries are going to Japan.The series of meetings provided a platform for representatives of different stakeholder groups, including migrant workers, governments, recruitment agencies, and civil society organisations, to exchange information about recruitment procedures from Mekong countries of origin to Japan, and jointly explore interventions and strategies to improve protections provided to migrant workers.
Click here for the full proceedings of the consultation meeting.