Japan Trains Foreign Workers for Railway Maintenance

Shirakawa, Fukushima Pref., March 22 (Jiji Press)--East Japan Railway Co., or JR East, has taken the lead in launching a training program aimed at nurturing about 100 foreign workers annually under Japan's specified skilled worker program amid severe labor shortages in railway maintenance.

The trained workers are expected to find jobs at railway companies across the country, attracting attention as to whether they can contribute to alleviating the labor shortages.

On March 6, the scene of the program was shown to the press at JR East's general training center in Shirakawa, Fukushima Prefecture, northeastern Japan.

A total of 113 participants from four countries, including Indonesia and Vietnam, attended lectures in Japanese and took part in exercises such as moving rails on a training track and operating machines used to tamp down the ballast laid beneath the rails.

About 60 pct of the participants have experience in participating in technical intern programs in Japan.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]