Writing Practice: Moocs Academic and Business Writing Week 4 Draft for My Final Project

( try to keep it under 750 work）

My First Draft

Reasons for worries about coming to work in Japan

On December the 25th, 2018, what those interested in staying in Japan would take as a big Christmas present was made. A regal reform made that day allows foreign blue-color workers up to a 5-year stay plus permanent residency under certain conditions, However, there are reasons to be skeptical. For decades, Japan has depended on foreigners for low-paying labor without guaranteeing them decent life and status, much less citizenship, and the problem is in the attitude rather than in the law.

The Japanese government has rejected immigrants and foreign workers except for political refugees and elite white-collar workers until now. Meanwhile, the working population started shrinking about 25 years ago because of low birth rates and aging. Companies started to go bankrupt due to labor shortage. Then they started hiring foreigners, mostly foreign trainees and students, who are allowed to work for a certain amount of time.

As of 2017, foreigners accounted for almost 2 percent of the workforce and the number is increasing. Many foreign workers are forced to work overtime under poor conditions for low wages. Harassment exists as well. More foreign workers die at work than Japanese workers do. Trainees owe more than 10,000 dollars to the brokers for the expenses to come to Japan, and 26,000 foreign workers have disappeared over the last 5 years. There are even suicides. An American governmental organization monitoring human trafficking, Amnesty International, the United Nations, and the Japan Federation of Bar Associations have expressed concern. In this context, this immigration policy change was made. It was long overdue, and therefore you cannot be too careful in taking advantage of it.

The government has not have a full-fledged immigration plan even though it has suddenly veered towards multi-ethnicity with this legal revision and the reality precedes the awareness of the public. For example, foreign workers are not allowed to bring their family with them, which is in itself inhumane, but regulations cannot stop people from having families anyway. Children of foreign descent have multiplied over the past 10 years and now there are approximately 70,000, speaking 30 different languages. The board of education dispatches interpreters to schools but the number is limited. The language barrier interferes with these children's education.To make matters worse, this island country is xenophobic and nationalistic There is a long history of discrimination against Chinese and Korean residents. Prejudice against black people is strong.

In addition, bullying is part of the structure of this country. Japan may be known for its civil nationality that prioritizes harmony among community members. It is true. Crime rates are low. The public is polite and gentle. However, the peaceful surface hides the undercurrent full of stress, which is directed to the vulnerable. It is easy to imagine that foreign workers from developing countries on debt become the scapegoats. Even though there are laws on working hours, minimum wages, and other basic rights for foreign workers, many employers abuse foreign employees. They are punished if found, but that compensates for little since by that time, the victims have been mentally and physically hurt.

Another bad news is mechanization. Blue-color workers' jobs are being replaced by robots and AI. The skills they acquire in Japan might be obsolete when they return. They can end up as global migrant workers for low-skill jobs. The knowledge about the Japanese language and culture can be an advantage to work for a company related to Japan, but the positions are limited since Japanese is a minor language. Thus, those who plan to work in Japan for five years and go home with money and skills should rethink it.

Compared to the past, foreign workers will be treated more fairly thanks to the legal change. However, most of the population are not ready for a multi-cultural society, and the current government policy has yet to guarantee foreign workers their rights to pursue happiness. Therefore, life in Japan may not be as fruitful as the work abroad pitch sounds.

Comments from peers

I test plagiarism with and there are 6% of plagiarism. Sources should be quoted especially with precise data in order to check them.

PEER 2 - EXCELLENT

It's a good draft. It has good and valuable information about the subject. It explains every topic clearly.

I notice that this draft, except for the first paragraph which is not very clear because of bad punctuation, is clear and interesting. Especially, the introduction catches our attention. In addition, the vocabulary is rich and varied. The outline is clear and the connections between paragraphs and sentences are good. Examples are relevant and ideas are very interesting. We are well-informed about the context of this issue.

PEER 2

For reference:
-Missing 26,000 in 5 years, isn't it abnormal?,  Tomohiko Nakamura, 2018
https://news.yahoo.co.jp/byline/nakamuratomohiko/20181106-00103150/

-The current situation and problems in education of foreign children, the Education Ministry, 2016 (the 28th year of Heisei)
http://www.bunka.go.jp/seisaku/kokugo_nihongo/kyoiku/todofuken_kenshu/h28_hokoku/pdf/shisaku03.pdf

-Curation of reports on employment situations of foreign workers, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, 2017 (the 29th year of Heisei)
https://www.mhlw.go.jp/file/04-Houdouhappyou-11655000-Shokugyouanteikyokuhakenyukiroudoutaisakubu-Gaikokujinkoyoutaisakuka/7584p57g.pdf

-「日本語指導が必要な子ども」4万人以上に―指導体制追い付かず、1万人の子どもが無支援状態  Iki Tanaka
https://news.yahoo.co.jp/byline/tanakaiki/20170614-00072060/