The transport industry, struggling with a severe labor shortage, has started looking to foreign workers for a solution. This situation comes as bus services are reduced due to a lack of drivers, affecting our daily lives. Some companies have taken the lead in employing foreigners under the current system, and the industry is growing hopeful as drivers become eligible for the "Specific Skill" visa category. What are the challenges as we move toward an era of opening the doors to foreign professional drivers? Let's delve into the developments on the ground.
Breaking Language Barriers with Smartphones
In Shizuoka Prefecture, home to approximately 31,000 Brazilians, the second-largest Brazilian population in Japan, a transport company called "Marushin Rekka Unyu" in Iwata City had Katakana notices posted on its walls. The company has been actively employing Brazilians, primarily of Japanese descent, for about five years, and now, out of 50 drivers, nearly 20%, or 9 drivers, are Brazilians who handle cargo deliveries.
The driving force behind this initiative is a severe shortage of manpower. "We just couldn't find enough people. When we thought about what we could do, we realized there were Brazilians in Shizuoka. So, we decided to hire them," reflects Vice President Yoshihiro Tabata (57). The company went as far as creating a webpage in Portuguese, the official language of Brazil, to attract applicants, and word of mouth spread, leading to an influx of Brazilian candidates.
Under the current system, foreign individuals need a "resident status based on qualifications," such as permanent residency or being married to a Japanese national, to work as drivers. The Brazilian employees at the company hold one of these qualifications. Some of them did not possess a large vehicle driver's license when they joined, so the company provided support through translation services at a driving school. Once they obtained the license, their job responsibilities were essentially the same as those of Japanese employees. These Brazilian workers have become valuable assets, and Tabata expresses, "They have been a great help to us."
Many of the Brazilian staff members can engage in everyday conversations in Japanese. Moreno Ricardo, in his fourth year with the company, says, "When I don't understand something, I use a smartphone translation app. In case of emergency, I can simply ask, 'What does this mean?' Japanese people are kind," he adds with a smile.
