Union shelters six Myanmar farm workers in Hokkaido after alleged abuse

Six Myanmar nationals hired under Japan's skilled worker program at a farm in Kyogoku, near Sapporo, have been given temporary shelter by the Sapporo General Union following accusations of physical assault and sexual harassment by farm employees. According to the union, the workers, all in their 30s or younger, were struck on the head with hands or equipment and subjected to unwanted chest touching, while also enduring daily verbal abuse and deportation threats.

They reported that language misunderstandings fueled the staff's anger. The union is assisting them in filing a criminal complaint and has supplied the Sapporo regional immigration bureau with their statements, calling for an inquiry. One worker, visibly upset, expressed a desire for proper training rather than mistreatment. The site previously housed a farm that lost its permission to host foreign interns under the technical intern training program after alleged human-rights breaches.