Training, ‘moral ed’ key to integrating foreign drivers in Japan’s auto transport sector

TOKYO — Japan’s Cabinet on March 29 added four new industries to the country’s “specified skilled worker” residency status, aimed at attracting up to 820,000 foreign workers from fiscal 2024 to 2028, including in the automotive transport sector. However, there are already some potential bumps in the road.

Japan could begin accepting foreign drivers in earnest as early as 2025, which is good news for the labor-strapped truck, bus and taxi industries. However, safety concerns have been raised in ruling Liberal Democratic Party discussions. What lessons can be learned about training foreign drivers from those already here?

‘Have a safe trip.’

At the office of Nihon WeP Ryutsu, a food transport company in the suburban Tokyo city of Musashimurayama, Uzbek citizens Abdukhalilov Daler and Asadov Dilshodjon, both 29, pass truck keys, daily route maps and other information to drivers coming into work. The pair have “engineer, specialist in humanities, and international services” residency status for highly skilled professionals and they are aiming to obtain national qualifications as operations managers, responsible for driver safety and accident prevention.

The company has been employing foreigners since its previous president was at the helm. Current President Osamu Yasuda emphasized his hopes that mentoring the Uzbeks, who know the ways and struggles of working in Japan, on their path to management positions will help ensure he can retain foreign talent.

“Companies also need to understand the customs and culture of their employees’ home countries,” Yasuda said.

How to train foreign drivers is a key consideration. Unique initiatives have begun in western Tokyo’s Tama area. Nihon WeP Ryutsu has teamed up with Hachioji, Tokyo-based logistics firm Footlight Corp. and driving schools to create the “GLB logistics workers training organization.”

Initially, GLB was focused on their recruiting pitches for Japanese candidates. But with high hurdles in securing personnel and facing the “2024 problem” — new rules on working hours that exacerbate the driver shortage — tapping foreign workers has become essential, and efforts are now being made to establish an educational system.

GLB places particular emphasis on moral education. Footlight President Koichi Kameta stressed the need to recognize that corporate culture, manners and interpretations of laws vary from country to country. For example, if a driver leaves the scene of an accident because they are unsure of how to respond, it could be catastrophic for the transport company in Japan. He added that moral education, including awareness of norms, is essential for those coming to drive in Japan. GLB is partnering with a cram school to support both this kind of education and Japanese language acquisition.

The transport ministry is prepared to start exams as early as this autumn in cooperation with industry associations to assess skills such as in operations and customer responses. Details are pending, but the ministry anticipates that after the foreign workers have passed these exams, employers will provide training on laws and safety while the workers obtain Japanese driver’s licenses.

Yasuda pointed out, “Major companies have the financial resources to train individuals independently, but 90% of the industry consists of small and medium-sized firms which don’t have the time, personnel or money.” Similarly, President Kameta stated, “The system could erode as companies without that capacity may end up only pretending to have conducted (training for foreigners),” and recommended the government set up a publicly funded training system.

(Japanese original by Ai Yokota, Lifestyle, Science & Environment News Department)