MITO -- Ibaraki Gov. Kazuhiko Oigawa on April 2 indicated his intention to swiftly launch a "whistleblower reward program" that seeks information on employers hiring foreign workers illegally and offers rewards if violations are uncovered, emphasizing that the initiative "is completely different from xenophobia."
The program has drawn criticism from six organizations, including the prefectural bar association and civic groups, which issued statements urging its withdrawal, saying it could "encourage discrimination and prejudice." At an April 2 regular news conference, Oigawa noted that employing unauthorized workers is illegal and countered that "It's unreasonable to argue that corrective measures against illegal acts themselves create discrimination or prejudice."
In its statement, the bar association argued that authorities should instead examine the causes of illegal employment and take reasonable measures to resolve the issue. In response, the governor argued that "an attitude that effectively condones illegal acts cannot be accepted under any circumstances."
Commenting on the governor's opinion, lawyer Shinobu Ito, a member of the prefectural bar association's committee for the protection of foreign nationals' human rights, pointed out, "Our (association's) president's statement does not tolerate illegal employment," adding that "to achieve a fundamental solution, measures should be taken through different approaches based on an understanding of the underlying...
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