At the signing ceremony (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – Deputy Minister of Labour,Invalids and Social Affairs Nguyen Ba Hoan has proposed Japan’s Wakayamaprefecture pay more attention to vocational training and welfare of Vietnamese guest workers living there.
At aworking session in Hanoi on July 28 with Governor of Wakayama prefecture KishimotoShuhei, Hoan welcomed his guest's visit which takes place at a time when thetwo countries are celebrating the 50th anniversary of bilateraldiplomatic ties this year.
Hoan said there were about 345,000 Vietnamese workersliving and working in Japan as of late December 2022, including 200,000skilled apprentices, 78,000 workers with specific skills, and 65,000 engineers,interpreters, and others.
In the first half of this year, Vietnam sent more than 72,000 guestworkers abroad, including over 35,000 to Japan alone.
Hoan suggested the Governor and Japanese firms consider additional measures to increase the numberof Vietnamese skilled apprentices and workers coming to Japan for employment.
Kishimoto, for his part, thanked theVietnamese Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA) for working closelywith Wakayama to launch activities over the past years.
The Japanese Government is striving toimprove the working environment for foreign labourers, including those fromVietnam, he said, adding that during this visit, he had a chance to interactwith Vietnamese students. Wakayama prefecture, in particular, and Japan as awhole, are aiming to welcome this high-quality workforce.
Later, Hoan witnessed the signing of a Memorandumof Understanding on cooperation in basic legal framework between the MoLISA’s Departmentof Overseas Labour Management and Wakayama prefecture regarding the reception ofVietnamese workers for employment in Japan.
Due to the shortage of workforce, Wakayama has advocatedenhancing training and reception of Vietnamese apprentices and workers with specificskills, and engineers for internships and employment in Japan.
Wakayama is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan, comprising 9cities, with its capital being Wakayama city. It is strong in agriculture andfisheries, attracting a considerable number of foreign apprentices each year.
Last year, the total number of foreign workers in Wakayama was3,390; 1,178 of them were Vietnamese workers, accounting for 34% of the total./.
