TOKYO - A Filipina stranded in Japan is suing her former Yokohama employer for her passport to be returned to her, in a case that again casts a spotlight on the less-than-ideal conditions that foreigners working in low-status jobs face.
"This is done to prevent foreign employees from making demands on the company or to protest against bad conduct by the employer. It is also to prevent workers from quitting and seeking another job," he added. This is up 13.6 per cent from 2018, with China, Vietnam and the Philippines the top three sources of foreign workers.
Still, labour lawyers and rights groups like Posse, which is helping the Filipina, are calling on Japan to impose more stringent laws to protect foreign workers from exploitation. The Filipina, who holds a tourism management degree, arrived in Japan in April 2017 to study at a Japanese language school.She was asked to surrender her passport, college transcript and certificate to process her visa paperwork. She was also made to sign a contract in Japanese legalese, which she said she does not understand.The form states that her employer will hold sole discretion over the management of her passport, including how long it is to be kept for.