We have come to see many foreign nationals working in various fields in Japan. In May 1993, IM Japan accepted 161 young people dispatched by the Indonesian government as technical interns. Since then, the total number of outstanding technical interns that IM Japan has accepted has reached 60,000, who have come to Japan from countries such as Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Under the guidance of the receiving company, the technical interns have acquired techniques, skills and knowledge and then return to their home countries, where they are contributing to the local economic development.
Up until now, the technical intern training program may have been regarded negatively because the name may cause unfavorable impressions such as low wages, hard labor, and disappearances due to the intervention of some companies and mediators that are not always honest and sincere. However, most technical interns return home while appreciating the fact that they have been able to work in Japan. In fact, many of the technical interns, who had been accepted by IM Japan and have returned to their home countries, have started their own business or are playing an active role in Japanese companies there. They are proud of having been able to work in Japan.
There are 350,000 technical interns in Japan, who are now indispensable to the Japanese society. I think Japan will be required to accept them as members of the Japanese society and create a society in which Japanese and foreign nationals coexist in harmony.
IM Japan will do its best to promote mutual understanding between Asian countries and peoples, and create a symbiotic society through the interaction of local communities.
Public Interest Foundation International Manpower Development Organization, Japan
Hitoshi Kanamori, President