In the past, finding a job in the Land of the Rising Sun used to be a very difficult endeavor for foreign nationals who seek for employment opportunities abroad. Due to the country’s highly nationalitic policies, major firms and establishments preferred to hire locals or Japanese citizens over their foreign counterparts. This trend is especially true among public transportation companies such as taxicab firms and operators of trains,subways and buses, among others.
These days, however, Japan has opened doors to foreign immigrant workers. Shortage of labor is one of the issues that Japan has to deal with in recent years. This is primarily because of its aging population as a result of low fertility rate in the country. To address this matter, more and more Japanese firms and establishments are hiring foreign workers, provided that they meet all the requirements and standards expected of them.
Hinomaru, one of the major taxicab firms in Japan, is now actively recruiting foreign drivers to become a part of its human resources. At present, Hinomaru has about 37 foreign drivers from twenty two countries across the globe. It seeks to conduct trainings that would orient foreign applicants with regard to the geography of Japan as well as its traffic laws and other pertinent subjects in order to pass the examination to acquire an operator’s license. The company believes that hiring non-citizens is a good strategy to secure a regular labor pool for long-term workers.
Kazumi Ozu, the manager of Hinomaru’s global employment section said that the company would “like to boost the number of foreign drivers to 100 by the time of next year’s Olympics.” Other taxi companies are also reported to open up positions for foreign drivers.
In support of this novel trend in Japan, Hajime Tosaki, a professor at Tokyo Metropolitan University, said that “In positions that require a high degree of specialization, the measures presently put in force by the government have limitations. Hiring more experienced foreign drivers represents a sensible choice.”
Nevertheless, the employment of foreign drivers is still of course subject to certain conditions such as: holding a permanent resident status, competency in the Japanese language and passing the test for a commercial operator’s license.
Reference: Tokyo taxi firm actively recruiting foreign drivers
