Houei Enterprise runs the school in Miyakonojo City in Miyazaki Prefecture. Six Indonesian students at the school worked at a nursing home also run by the company between 2015 and 2016. The firm reportedly told them that they would have to pay a monetary penalty if they were to quit the school.
Labor officials searched the language school last July and concluded that the students had been forced to work based on a contract that combines study and labor.
Some Japanese language schools have been found to have foreign students work illegally. But forced labor cases are rare.
A lawyer representing Houei Enterprise says it offered part-time jobs to reduce the financial burden on foreign students. The lawyer denies any illegality, saying practice at welfare facilities is important for study.
Source: NHK Image: Bank Image
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