TOKYO —

The Justice Ministry said Friday it found irregularities at 449 companies and organizations that hosted foreign trainees last year, nearly double the level in 2006. The ministry’s Immigration Bureau said it had confirmed a total of 562 cases of irregularities in 2007. Of the total, 178 cases related to violations of labor-related laws such as nonpayment of wages to foreign trainees, while 98 involved the imposition of extra working hours.

The bureau attributed the sharp year-on-year increase to stricter inspections of relevant companies and organizations. Companies found to have committed irregularities will not be allowed to hire foreign trainees in the next three years.

© 2008 Kyodo News. All rights reserved. No reproduction or republication without written permission.

5 Comments

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  beavis at 10:38 AM JST - 10th May

  Irregularities? Whose English is this? It sounds like someone is constipated!

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  capone at 11:12 AM JST - 10th May

  its japanese english where they use important-sounding words to say absolutely nothing

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  outofmydepth at 04:04 PM JST - 10th May

  these companies want cheap labor, to break laws and hope that these "grateful" workers won`t complain. shame shame shame irregularities indeed. these "customs" violate human dignity.

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  outofmydepth at 04:05 PM JST - 10th May

  by the way, it is nice to see this in the CRIME section as indeed it is.

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  romulus3 at 06:03 PM JST - 10th May

  outofmydepth,

  you were withinlimits this time. nice post.

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