The Story of a Vietnamese Technical Intern Trainee Who Took Leave from Work and Gave Birth in Japan
Pregnancy・Medical Examination・Consultation
Alice became ill during her second year of work as a technical intern trainee in Japan. She consulted with a person at church and was taken to a clinic. She found out there that she was 34 weeks pregnant. Alice also consulted with a foreign residents support group. Alice learned about the maternity leave system and her worker rights from the support group. She decided she wanted to take maternity leave, give birth in Japan, and then resume working at the same company.
Temporary Protection
Alice told a Vietnamese counselor from her supervising organization about the pregnancy.
When she had learned that the supervising organization for trainees had told Alice’s company about her pregnancy, she was afraid she would be sent back to Vietnam. She contacted the support group for help. The support group took her into temporary protection.
Meeting with the Supervising Organization and the Company
Alice and the staff from the support group met with the company and the supervising organization. She told them that she wanted to give birth in Japan. (Both the supervising organization and the company were aware of the guideline that "pregnant technical interns cannot be discriminated against". The guideline was jointly issued on March 12, 2019 by the Immigration Bureau, Bureau of the Ministry of Justice, the Organization for Technical Intern Training (OTIT), and the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare to supervising organizations.) The company agreed that Alice could use maternity leave to give birth in Japan.
The father of Alice's child's, Ben, was also a technical intern trainee. The support group also contacted Ben's supervising organization and company and requested for him to be allowed to take paid leave for childbirth and childcare. They also agreed.
Boshi-Techo at the City Hall
Alice went to the city hall with a member of the support group to get a maternal handbook, called a boshi-techo (母子手帳). A public nurse there explained what she had to do before giving birth and what kind of support she had access to. Alice also decided which hospital to give birth at. She could not speak Japanese very well, so she utilized the city-provided interpreter and telephone interpreter services at the hospital.
Childbirth Earlier than Expected
Alice had a stomachache about a month before the expected due date of delivery. She couldn't handle the pain and was taken to a nearby hospital. Though it was a different hospital from the one where she was planning to give birth, she had a boshitecho and a pre-natal checkup and she was able to give birth at that hospital.
At the hospital, Alice learned how to take care of her baby. For example, how to breastfeed and bathe her baby. Even though Alice was discharged, her baby was hospitalized for a while because he was premature. Alice went to the hospital every day to breastfeed until her baby was discharged.
Expenses for Childbirth
The cost of childbirth was about 450,000 yen, but she paid most of it with the lump-sum birth allowance, shussan-ichijikin (出産一時金), from her health insurance. For the hospitalization fees for the baby, she submitted a birth certificate, shuseitodoke (出生届) to the government office, entered the baby into the social insurance system, and then applied for the premature baby care program, mijukujiryouikuiryou (未熟児療育医療).
Status of Residence for Alice and the Baby
Alice’s residential status as "Technical Intern Training" was being renewed during the pregnancy and at the time of giving birth but the application process could be put on hold for two months. This allowed her to use her residential status’ health insurance during that period.
After the baby was born, Alice applied for the baby to have a status of residence at the immigration with help from an administrative writer or a special kind of immigration lawyer known as a gyouseishoshi (行政書士). About one month later, the baby was granted a four month status of residence as "specific activity". The renewal of Alice’s status of residence of as "Technical Intern Training (ii) b" (1 year) was also approved.
Alice sent the necessary documents to the company and asked them to have the baby covered by health insurance as her “dependent”. In addition, Alice and Ben submitted their marriage registration, birth registration, and passport application for the baby to the Vietnamese Consulate, and got the baby's passport one month later.
Maternity Leave that She Took and Childcare Leave that She Could Not Take
Alice took paid leave and maternity leave before giving birth and took eight weeks of maternity leave after giving birth. Alice also tried to use childcare leave. However, workers with a fixed-term employment contract could not use childcare leave unless they had at least one year and six months left in their contract. Alice’s technical intern training period only had one year remaining, so she could not qualify for childcare leave. However, the company told her that even though she could not receive a childcare leave allowance, she could take the time off to raise the child. So, she used the paid leave to take the time off.
Living in the Apartment
Alice rented an apartment with the help of the support group to live with her baby after the birth. After the baby was discharged, the baby lived in the apartment together with his mother and father. Ben also could not use childcare leave, so he went to work from the apartment and took care of the baby when he was not working. People at the church and other supporters of the young family helped the parents take care of the baby until they could take him to Vietnam. The public nurse also came to the apartment to see the baby and gave Alice advice on childcare.
Return to Vietnam and Return to Work
Alice took the baby to Vietnam about two months after giving birth. Then, she left the baby to her family and returned to Japan about a week later and started working at the same company again.
Alice became ill during her second year of work as a technical intern trainee in Japan. She consulted with a person at church and was taken to a clinic. She found out there that she was 34 weeks pregnant. Alice also consulted with a foreign residents support group. Alice learned about the maternity leave system and her worker rights from the support group. She decided she wanted to take maternity leave, give birth in Japan, and then resume working at the same company.
Temporary Protection
Alice told a Vietnamese counselor from her supervising organization about the pregnancy.
When she had learned that the supervising organization for trainees had told Alice’s company about her pregnancy, she was afraid she would be sent back to Vietnam. She contacted the support group for help. The support group took her into temporary protection.
Meeting with the Supervising Organization and the Company
Alice and the staff from the support group met with the company and the supervising organization. She told them that she wanted to give birth in Japan. (Both the supervising organization and the company were aware of the guideline that "pregnant technical interns cannot be discriminated against". The guideline was jointly issued on March 12, 2019 by the Immigration Bureau, Bureau of the Ministry of Justice, the Organization for Technical Intern Training (OTIT), and the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare to supervising organizations.) The company agreed that Alice could use maternity leave to give birth in Japan.
The father of Alice's child's, Ben, was also a technical intern trainee. The support group also contacted Ben's supervising organization and company and requested for him to be allowed to take paid leave for childbirth and childcare. They also agreed.
Boshi-Techo at the City Hall
Alice went to the city hall with a member of the support group to get a maternal handbook, called a boshi-techo (母子手帳). A public nurse there explained what she had to do before giving birth and what kind of support she had access to. Alice also decided which hospital to give birth at. She could not speak Japanese very well, so she utilized the city-provided interpreter and telephone interpreter services at the hospital.
Childbirth Earlier than Expected
Alice had a stomachache about a month before the expected due date of delivery. She couldn't handle the pain and was taken to a nearby hospital. Though it was a different hospital from the one where she was planning to give birth, she had a boshitecho and a pre-natal checkup and she was able to give birth at that hospital.
At the hospital, Alice learned how to take care of her baby. For example, how to breastfeed and bathe her baby. Even though Alice was discharged, her baby was hospitalized for a while because he was premature. Alice went to the hospital every day to breastfeed until her baby was discharged.
Expenses for Childbirth
The cost of childbirth was about 450,000 yen, but she paid most of it with the lump-sum birth allowance, shussan-ichijikin (出産一時金), from her health insurance. For the hospitalization fees for the baby, she submitted a birth certificate, shuseitodoke (出生届) to the government office, entered the baby into the social insurance system, and then applied for the premature baby care program, mijukujiryouikuiryou (未熟児療育医療).
Status of Residence for Alice and the Baby
Alice’s residential status as "Technical Intern Training" was being renewed during the pregnancy and at the time of giving birth but the application process could be put on hold for two months. This allowed her to use her residential status’ health insurance during that period.
After the baby was born, Alice applied for the baby to have a status of residence at the immigration with help from an administrative writer or a special kind of immigration lawyer known as a gyouseishoshi (行政書士). About one month later, the baby was granted a four month status of residence as "specific activity". The renewal of Alice’s status of residence of as "Technical Intern Training (ii) b" (1 year) was also approved.
Alice sent the necessary documents to the company and asked them to have the baby covered by health insurance as her “dependent”. In addition, Alice and Ben submitted their marriage registration, birth registration, and passport application for the baby to the Vietnamese Consulate, and got the baby's passport one month later.
Maternity Leave that She Took and Childcare Leave that She Could Not Take
Alice took paid leave and maternity leave before giving birth and took eight weeks of maternity leave after giving birth. Alice also tried to use childcare leave. However, workers with a fixed-term employment contract could not use childcare leave unless they had at least one year and six months left in their contract. Alice’s technical intern training period only had one year remaining, so she could not qualify for childcare leave. However, the company told her that even though she could not receive a childcare leave allowance, she could take the time off to raise the child. So, she used the paid leave to take the time off.
Living in the Apartment
Alice rented an apartment with the help of the support group to live with her baby after the birth. After the baby was discharged, the baby lived in the apartment together with his mother and father. Ben also could not use childcare leave, so he went to work from the apartment and took care of the baby when he was not working. People at the church and other supporters of the young family helped the parents take care of the baby until they could take him to Vietnam. The public nurse also came to the apartment to see the baby and gave Alice advice on childcare.
Return to Vietnam and Return to Work
Alice took the baby to Vietnam about two months after giving birth. Then, she left the baby to her family and returned to Japan about a week later and started working at the same company again.