(日本語 Japanese version is available.)
At Zuitt, upon the request of Yellow Wing Cooperative Association—which promotes a joint acceptance program for foreign technical interns—we provided Japanese language training to Filipino technical interns working at Daiichi Co., Ltd., a company engaged in seafood processing in Engaru Town, Monbetsu District, Hokkaido.
We spoke with Mr. Koji Kado of Yellow Wing Cooperative Association, Ms. Michi Kobayashi of Daiichi Co., Ltd., and Mr. Kato, the representative of Zuitt, about the importance and effectiveness of Japanese language training.
(Interview by Hiroyuki Ohashi)
Relying on Foreign Labor Is the Current Reality
Interviewer: Could you tell us about the business operations of Daiichi Co., Ltd.?
Kobayashi: Our company is engaged in seafood processing in Engaru Town, Monbetsu District, Hokkaido. We mainly handle scallop adductor muscles and octopus products—these are the two pillars of our business. Engaru Town is located near the Sea of Okhotsk, and nearby is Lake Saroma, the third-largest lake in Japan. This coastal area along the Sea of Okhotsk is known as one of the world’s leading scallop production areas.
Interviewer: How many employees do you have?
Kobayashi: We have a total of 57 employees: 18 Japanese and others from China, Vietnam, Indonesia, and the Philippines. We have four Filipinos, all women in their early 20s. They are young, cheerful, and truly wonderful individuals.
Interviewer: Why did you decide to employ Filipinos?
Kobayashi: Because we couldn’t recruit enough Japanese workers. About 20 years ago, we accepted Chinese technical interns, but that became difficult. While considering other countries, we heard good things about Filipino interns and consulted with Yellow Wing Cooperative Association to see if we could find some Filipino candidates.
Interviewer: Could you tell us about the business activities of Yellow Wing Cooperative Association?
Kado: Yellow Wing Cooperative Association is a business cooperative established in 2019. We have offices in Sapporo and Tomakomai in Hokkaido. Our main goal is to support the economic advancement of member companies like Daiichi Co., Ltd., and we carry out daily operations with that in mind. About 95% of our operations involve the joint acceptance of foreign technical interns and support for specified skilled foreign workers.
Interviewer: So there were Filipinos who wished to work in Japan.
Kado: We asked our sending organizations in the Philippines to recruit candidates who wanted to work in Japan. From the pool of applicants, we selected individuals who seemed to match the needs of Daiichi Co., Ltd. Although they didn’t have prior experience in fisheries or seafood processing, they chose Japan after considering factors like wages, safety, working conditions, and hygiene.
Interviewer: Securing labor was a significant challenge for Daiichi Co., Ltd., wasn’t it?
Kobayashi: Engaru Town’s population has dropped below 20,000, and young people continue to leave the town for education or employment. As a result, we have no choice but to rely on foreign labor. I believe this is not unique to Engaru Town but is the same in rural areas everywhere.
Kado: Alongside the overall population decline in Japan, the working-age population between 20 and 65 years old is also decreasing. To maintain Japan’s current economy to some extent, foreign labor has become indispensable. Our cooperative helps companies recognize this and supports them in utilizing foreign technical interns.
Investing in Training Is Not a Waste When Considering a Three-Year Internship Period
Interviewer: You proposed Japanese language training to Daiichi Co., Ltd. Could you tell us why?
Kado: Both accepting organizations and interns often have concerns about language barriers. We believed that improving the interns’ Japanese language skills, even slightly, would alleviate mutual anxieties. So we proposed Japanese language training as part of our support.
Interviewer: Ms. Kobayashi, why did you decide to implement Japanese language training for your Filipino technical interns?
Kobayashi: We have accepted foreign technical interns before, and those who improved their Japanese were paying for online lessons themselves. However, studying alone has its limits. When Yellow Wing Cooperative Association proposed Japanese language training, we were very interested and decided to implement it.
Interviewer: Why are the interns eager to improve their Japanese?
Kobayashi: Many of them aspire to become interpreters, join companies, or work as interpreters within companies. Some even wish to become teachers who teach Japanese to people in their home countries.
Interviewer: What difficulties arise if the interns cannot speak Japanese?
Kobayashi: Some interns don’t understand Japanese at all. In such cases, we have to give instructions through someone from the same country who understands Japanese, which takes extra time. Even then, they might not comprehend the instructions, so we can only assign them repetitive tasks. This means their skills don’t improve.
Interviewer: That could lower their motivation, and it would be harsh to say, “It’s because you’re not studying.”Kobayashi: Exactly. We don’t want to create a sense of superiority or inferiority, but differences in treatment inevitably arise. We have to rely on those who understand Japanese.
Interviewer: When Yellow Wing Cooperative Association proposed Japanese language training, how did you plan to implement it?
Kobayashi: If we’re going to have them undergo Japanese language training, it’s better to have everyone participate at the initial stage right after hiring, as they’ll absorb it more effectively. If they have to study after work when they’re tired, they’ll tend to think, “I’ll skip it today,” and eventually stop studying altogether. Then they’ll start relying on someone else who understands Japanese to interpret for them.
I want to support their dreams of becoming interpreters or Japanese language teachers. So I thought we should have them participate, even if it’s somewhat mandatory. Of course, it must have been tough for them.
Interviewer: You bear the cost of the training, correct?
Kobayashi: Yes. But considering the three-year internship period, I didn’t think it was a wasteful investment.
Interviewer: Are the interns generally highly motivated to work and study?Kado: They are highly motivated to work. They have a clear purpose and a strong desire to earn money in Japan. However, their motivation to study varies individually. In Japanese language training, it’s important to align with the higher motivation levels among them. Since they are young, their willingness to study increases with appropriate support. But it largely depends on the accepting organization’s attitude—how they lead the interns with whom they spend the most time.
Even in Three Months, Japanese Skills Can Improve Dramatically
Interviewer: Mr. Kato, upon receiving the request from Yellow Wing Cooperative Association, what kind of program did you plan to offer to the Filipino interns at Daiichi Co., Ltd.?
Kato: I realized it wasn’t just about delivering training.
In any language, it’s hardest for beginners to start speaking. If they believe they can’t speak Japanese, they can’t voice their problems, which then escalate and eventually explode. I heard from Mr. Kado that preventing this pattern is crucial, so I aimed to design the Japanese language training accordingly.
Interviewer: I see.
Kato: Next, I considered the level of Japanese from which we could start. Technical interns are supposed to come to Japan with at least the N5 level—the easiest level of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT). However, their actual Japanese proficiency varies depending on which sending organization they come from. So first, we conducted N5 review tests and supplementary lessons while engaging in conversation practice to assess and align their levels.
Note: The JLPT has five levels: N1, N2, N3, N4, and N5, with N5 being the easiest and N1 the most difficult.
Interviewer: What were the challenges?
Kato: There were several. One was whether the interns would attend the training. Studying for two hours at night after work is tough for anyone, but they needed to do it. We also asked Ren-sensei, a Filipino instructor, to listen to the interns’ concerns.
In summary, we focused on four points: aligning their starting levels, ensuring attendance, improving their supplementary and conversational skills as expected, and making the counseling effective.
Interviewer: Could you explain the implementation method?
Kato: The program started at the end of May 2024 and ended in mid-August, lasting just under three months. We conducted conversation classes twice a week and supplementary classes once a week, each for two hours, all taught online by instructors. The interns attended from their rooms in the company’s dormitory during the evenings.
Japanese instructors taught the conversation classes, while Ren-sensei, a Filipino instructor, handled the supplementary classes. We asked Ren-sensei to prioritize listening to the interns’ concerns over supplementary lessons.
Interviewer: What was the curriculum like?
Kato: The goal of the conversation classes was to reach level A1.2, where they can engage in minimal exchanges with an understanding partner. We mainly used pattern practice (sentence structure exercises). We taught one sentence pattern, had them master it, and then changed the expressions by repeating and applying that pattern to enable them to use various expressions. Usually, this is done one-on-one, but by conducting it with one instructor and four students, unexpected positive effects emerged, such as getting used to speaking in front of others and listening to others hesitate.
We also conducted the same tests and surveys before and after the training. In the supplementary classes, we focused on grammatical items where they lost points in the tests.
Interviewer: So the curriculum emphasized speaking rather than lectures.
Kato: Yes. In the supplementary classes, they re-understood grammar and vocabulary, practiced in conversation classes, and then applied it in their work environment. We followed this cycle.
Interviewer: Japanese is said to be difficult. Can one improve in three months?
Kato: They improved significantly over three months. Initially, one out of the four was not at the N5 level. Two were just barely able to pass N5, but at that level, the foundation is insufficient, and passing N4 after studying N4 content can be challenging. However, after the training, all of them reached near-perfect scores at the N5 level. If they continue studying, they have a high chance of passing N4.
Their conversational skills also varied, but after the training, all of them reached the target level of A1.2.
Of course, the improvement wasn’t solely due to our Japanese language training. They must have had plenty of opportunities to use Japanese during and outside work. I think their Japanese improved dramatically in three months because they were surrounded by the Japanese language and properly used them for input and output.
They Worked Hard Despite Being Tired
Interviewer: Mr. Kado, did you observe any of the classes?
Kado: I observed several classes to see how they were studying. Personally, I was very satisfied with the Japanese language training. The content was solid, and the results followed, so I believe it was high-level training.
When foreign interns come to a country different from their own, they experience various stresses due to the different environment. Just living daily life can be exhausting, and they have to do practical training on top of that. Practical training often involves physical labor, which is tough. Despite that, they made time at night and worked hard with enthusiasm. I was impressed by how they worked diligently even though they seemed tired.
Interviewer: Ms. Kobayashi, what did you think?
Kobayashi: I didn’t participate in the classes, but I often asked the interns how it went. They said things like, “It was fun, but I was sleepy and fell asleep halfway.” But they were very eager to learn, saying, “We’ll do our best today, too.” I was pleased to see them taking on the challenge, and I’m very glad we implemented the training.
Interviewer: What made it fun for them?
Kobayashi: They said that Ren-sensei was a very enjoyable teacher.
Interviewer: Ren-sensei handled the supplementary classes. Could you tell us about him?
Kato: Ren-sensei is a Filipino who had experience as a technical intern in Japan. After returning to the Philippines, he became a Japanese language teacher at a major school. I thought he could understand the interns’ feelings well, so we asked him to teach the classes.
Kobayashi: I think they learned a lot from Ren-sensei—not just about Japanese but also from his stories about his experiences in Japan. I feel that these stories encouraged the interns.
