Foreign workers in Japan contacted lawyers via a special hotline on Sunday. They sought advice on overtime hours, annual leave and other issues.
Lawyers took the calls at offices in Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya and Hiroshima.
The phones at a law office in Tokyo’s Shinjuku district started ringing immediately after the hotline opened at 2 PM.
Lawyers responded to questions with the help of Chinese and Spanish interpreters.
Some of the people who called in said they were forced to do overtime with no extra pay and others did not have paid holidays.
One person talked about being fired after telling the company about harassment by a manager.
The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry says more than 780,000 foreign nationals were working in Japan at the end of October 2014. The figure is the highest since the ministry started keeping records in 2007.
One of the lawyers, Shoichi Ibusuki, says most workers in trouble tend to keep quiet because they don’t understand Japan’s legal system. He urged people to consult lawyers even on trivial matters.
Source and image: NHK
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