Initiative: Enhancing the Capacity of Countries of Origin in Facilitating Equitable Migration to Japan

Enhancing the Capacity of Countries of Origin in Facilitating Equitable Migration to Japan

Overview

Since its launch in 2003, MMN focuses primarily on intra-Mekong labour migration. However, since 2016, in response to changes in migration patterns, MMN has also begun working on issues surrounding migration from the Mekong to countries outside the sub-region, notably to Japan. Many industries in Japan are facing acute labour shortages, and many employers recognize that migrant workers are critical to the sustainability of their businesses. Approximately the half of the technical intern trainees in Japan are from Vietnam, and the number of migrant workers from Cambodia and Myanmar are growing.

To maintain a Mekong focus, MMN carries out this work under its coordinated Roles of Countries of Origin Project. This project undertakes research and advocacy from a migrant countries of origin perspective and aims to strengthen the capacity of CSOs in Mekong countries of origin in promoting and protecting the rights of migrants bound for Japan.

Key Milestones

Migrants make a significant contribution to Japan's socio-economic development. The short film illustrates their stories and the challenges they face, from interviewing a range of stakeholders including migrant workers from Cambodia, Myanmar and Vietnam, employers of migrant workers, migrants’ rights advocates and community leaders. Interviews took place across Japan in Tokyo, Kyoto, Aichi and Kumamoto. Click here to watch the short version of the film.

High migration fees and a lack of transparency of cost structures have been major issues related to labour migration to Japan. This advocacy paper discusses the gaps in the current initiatives and presents MMN's recommendations to relevant stakeholders in Japan as well as in Cambodia, Myanmar and Vietnam. Click here to read the advocacy paper in English or Japanese.

Japan is a relatively new destination for migrants from Mekong countries, compared to Thailand or Malaysia. Due to the limited understanding of the migration mechanisms, labour laws and social protection schemes of Japan, CSOs in Mekong countries of origin are often restricted in their capacity to provide comprehensive support to migrants deployed to Japan. This handbook is developed to introduce to CSOs and trade unions the migration pathways to Japan that are accessible to migrant workers, as well as migrants’ rights and entitlements in the country. Click here to read the handbook.

MMN conducted field visits to Hanoi (November 2023) , Phnom Penh (February 2024) and Japan (June 2024), in collaboration with partnering CSOs, to gather information and. The visit to Vietnam and Cambodia provided the opportunity for MMN members to learn about Vietnam and Cambodia’s regulatory framework and initiate forward-looking conversations on the necessary changes in issues related to migration to Japan. During the visit to Japan, MMN members met representatives of migrant support CSOs in Kobe and Osaka to exchange experiences in assisting Mekong migrants in Japan, had meetings in Nagoya with an employer who hires Myanmar elderly care workers and Cambodian Technical Intern Trainees, and met the Cambodian labour attaché in Tokyo. To learn more, please read the website reports of the country visits.

MMN organized the third Policy Dialogue on Roles of Countries of Origin in Supporting Migrants' Access to Social Security in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Over 50 participants joined the Policy Dialogue in person or online, including representatives from government and government-affiliated entities, civil society organisations, recruitment agencies, academia, law firms and international organisations from Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand, Japan and the Philippines. Participants discussed MMN’s latest study on the roles of countries of origin in supporting migrants’ access to social security, which focused on the migration corridors from Cambodia and Myanmar to Thailand, and from Cambodia, Myanmar and Vietnam to Japan. Click here to read the Proceedings.

Following the release of the MMN advocacy paper, entitled “Who pays? Recruitment Fees for Migrant Workers from Vietnam, Cambodia and Myanmar to Japan”, [Link] MMN and Kyoto University Asian Studies Unit co-hosted the Panel Discussion, to provide a venue where we can learn about updates from a country-of-origin perspective, Japanese employers’ initiatives and recruitment agencies’ perspectives, and share the ideas and strategies to move forward. Click here to read the Proceedings. Click here to watch the video of the panel discussion.

Legal Support for Children and Women, Cambodia;
Centre for Development and Integration, Vietnam; and
Future Light Centre, Myanmar

Related Initiatives

Multi-stakeholder workshop on Labor Migration from Cambodia and Vietnam to Japan, November 2021

On 24 November 2021, Mekong Migration Network (MMN) convened a Multi-Stakeholder Workshop on Labour Migration from Cambodia and Vietnam to Japan. The workshop focused on two major themes: First, migration costs to Japan; and second, information dissemination concerning migrants’ rights to health, including reproductive health and Covid-19 matters, for migrants in Japan. These themes have been selected, as they are among the most pressing issues facing migrants in Japan and have been identified by MMN as issues that stakeholders in countries of origin can play a significant role in solving. Click here to read the report, and the digest video of the workshop is available here.

National consultations on Labour Migration to Japan, 2018-2019

Since 2016, at MMN organised events, both policymakers and Civil Society Organisations (CSO) have voiced concerns regarding the knowledge gap that exists in relation to labour migration to Japan, a trend that is anticipated to grow over the coming years. They expressed a desire to fill this gap in order to improve their capacity to assist migrants destined for Japan.

To address these concerns, MMN has expanded its focus to include labour migration from Cambodia, Myanmar, and Vietnam to Japan by conducting collaborative research and advocacy between 2017 and 2019. During this period, MMN organised the following multi-stakeholder consultation meetings, focusing on labour migration to Japan:

* Consultation on Labour Migration from Myanmar to Japan, Yangon, October 2018 ;

* Consultation on Labour Migration from Cambodia to Japan, Phnom Penh, February 2019;

* Consultation on Labour Migration from Vietnam to Japan, Hanoi, July 2019 ; and

* Multi-Stakeholder Workshop on Labour Migration from Mekong Countries to Japan, Tokyo, July 2019.

Click the titles above to read proceedings.

Short video “Migrant interviews: Hope and Inspirations of Workers Going to Japan”, 2022

To understand recruitment process, MMN organized field visits in Cambodia, Myanmar and Vietnam and met prospective migrants preparing to go to Japan. This short video is a collection of interviews with those prospective migrants, hearing their voice about their expectations and worries for work in Japan, and future plans. Click here to watch the video (English and Japanese subtitles)

Multi-media documentary "Beyond “Tolerance”: Living Together with Migrants (2016)

During the visit to Japan, MMN members met representatives of migrant support CSOs in Kobe and Osaka to exchange experiences in assisting Mekong migrants in Japan, had meetings in Nagoya with an employer who hires Myanmar elderly care workers and Cambodian Technical Intern Trainees, and met the Cambodian labour attaché in Tokyo.

To learn more, please read the website reports of the country visits.

Advocacy Paper, Permanently Temporary: Examining the Impact of Social Exclusion on Mekong Migrants, 2015

Migrant workers make a significant contribution to the socio-economic development of the Mekong Subregion and beyond. However, despite the crucial role migrants play in the functioning of the economy, governments of popular destination countries in Asia appear content to formulate policies based on the notion that migration is a purely temporary phenomenon. How long is temporary? How long is it acceptable for migrants to be treated as permanent outsiders in the place where they have made their home?

This advocacy paper seeks to respond to these questions by unpacking the causes and impact of social exclusion on migrants in destination countries Thailand and Japan, and on migrant returnees in source countries Myanmar and Cambodia. Click here to download the English version, Khmer version and Burmese version”