July 11, 2026

A rally took place on July 4 in Gifu City (Gifu Pref) to support two Vietnamese trainees seeking the payment of unpaid overtime wages and the withdrawal of their dismissals.

The two are members of the Zenroren-affiliated Gifu local union. They came to Japan in November 2025 under Japan’s foreign trainee and technical internship program and began working at a host company’s garment manufacturing factory in Gifu.

According to the union, the two worked from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., with two Sundays off per month. Although they worked over 130 hours of overtime, they were only paid for 40 hours.

In February 2026, one of the trainees, with help from the union, filed a claim in regard to unpaid overtime with the Gifu Labor Standards Inspection Office. In the following month, the host company suddenly dismissed all Vietnamese trainees, including the initial two, on the grounds of the closure of its factory. The reason for the closure has not been disclosed. In April, the union took legal action against the host company and its supervisory organization.

At the rally, the Gifu local union’s secretary general Kishi Shigeo pointed out that the supervising organization, which is supposed to provide guidance and support to host companies, is headed by the same person who runs the host company where the Vietnamese were working, and said that remedial policies under the foreign trainee program for unjust human rights violations do not function properly.

The rally participants resolved to increase public awareness of and support for this issue.