In Japan, there are automobile junior colleges run by automakers such as Toyota, Honda and Nissan, or run separately from the automobile industry. At the schools, students can learn auto repair techniques, including electric vehicles. However, there is a growing awareness among young Japanese that auto repair is a dangerous and dirty manual labor, which could lead to a loss of competitiveness in the automobile industry, one of Japan’s main businesses, as interest in auto repair begins to wane. Against this backdrop, a growing number of young people from Asian developing countries, including Vietnam and the Philippines, are visiting automobile junior colleges in Japan.
Citing data from Japan’s Labor Ministry, the Nikkei said on Monday that the number of foreign workers increased by 12 percent in October last year, exceeding 2 million, and 27 percent of them are engaged in manufacturing. A quarter of foreign workers in Japan are Vietnamese, accounting for the largest portion. China and the Philippines follow suit.
Since 2019, the Japanese government has granted residency to foreigners as “specific skilled workers” to encourage them to hire foreigners in the auto repair sector. The number of foreigners employed by auto repair companies has more than doubled over the past five years to around 4,800. According to the Japan Student Assistance District (JSA), Vietnamese students are the largest among international students at auto schools in 2022. “Previously, most of the international students came from Vietnam, China, and other Southeast Asian countries, but now most of them are from Nepal, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka,” said Ayumi Nakariza, executive director of Honda Motor College. Lahidu Madushan, 30, a Sri Lankan who is a second-year student at Nissan Motor School, came to Japan four years ago. “I loved cars, and 80 percent of Sri Lankan cars are from Japan. In Japan, foreigners can work as mechanics like Japanese people, so I want to work as a mechanic after graduation at a place that sells Nissan cars,” he said.
Motohiro Yoshie, president of Nissan Motor Corporation, also said that the number of international students at its auto schools has increased since the country’s entry restrictions were eased after the pandemic. According to Japan’s Ministry of Transportation, the number of foreigners who registered at its auto schools increased five times between 2016 and 2021. This year, 360 international students entered five technical colleges run by Nissan. This is three times more than in 2019. Most of the graduates plan to work in Japan, where salaries are higher than in their own country. “The only person who can help us overcome the labor shortage is a foreigner,” Motohiro said. “We have no choice but to accept more international students.”
“It’s sad that the automobile world looks attractive to foreigners, but not so attractive to Japanese,” said Yoshihiro Wakabayashi, principal of Toyota University of Technology in Tokyo, explaining that there are twice as many foreigners enrolled in the school as before the pandemic. “Construction and other jobs related to manufacturing also lack labor,” Principal Wakabayashi said. “We are worried that Japan’s manufacturing culture will disappear and affect the economy.”
JULIE KIM
US ASIA JOURNAL
