Vietnamese workers face Japan's illegal worker crackdown

Japan's government has pledged a crackdown on undocumented workers as many Vietnamese technical interns — reported to be just under half of about 450,000 trainees — face visa overstays and difficult conditions.

Japan is experiencing persistent labour shortages as its population ages and birth rates remain low. Foreign technical interns fill roles across agriculture, construction and food processing. Minh, a pseudonym for a Vietnamese former trainee, overstayed his visa after coming to Japan under the Technical Intern Training Program (TITP) and is now affected by a government crackdown announced by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. Critics and support groups report that some interns arrive with debt and face difficult working or living conditions. Key facts: - Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has announced a policy package reported to include tighter visa management and a crackdown on illegal workers. - About 450,000 technical interns were in Japan as of June, and just under half were reported to be from Vietnam. - Japan's immigration agency reported around 6,500 trainees disappeared from their workplaces last year. - The government plans to transition the TITP into a new system in 2027 with more flexibility on job transfers and stricter Japanese language requirements. Summary: The announced measures aim to tighten controls on undocumented work while a large number of Vietnamese interns continue to form a significant share of technical trainees. A policy package is expected later this month and a transition to a new intern system is planned for 2027.