Amid the increasing reports of harassment against foreign laborers in Japan, more than 200 Japanese companies and organizations will jointly develop a smartphone app to protect the human rights of foreign workers.

The application, led by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), will allow technical trainees and other workers to consult with third-party organizations without informing their companies.

JICA, along with other corporations and human rights organizations, will serve as the secretariat of the said move. They are planning to start the trial of the app next year.

The smartphone app will be a venue for all foreign workers to report their problems in their respective workplaces directly to the secretariat.

Moreover, developers of the said app are also considering allowing users to report abusive workplaces and host organizations to local governments and other authorities. “We would also like to provide useful information on living in Japan in multiple languages,” the official at JICA said.

Joining the said initiative are the big and trusted companies; Toyota Motor Corp., retail giant Aeon Co., SoftBank Group Corp., Seven & i Holdings Co., Ajinomoto Co., and beverage maker Asahi Group Holdings Ltd.

Source: https://www.jica.go.jp/english/about/organization/index.html