An Indonesian national contracted to work under a government-sponsored internship in Japan filed a lawsuit after his employer sent him home because of his lack of Japanese-speaking skills.
Ricky Amrullah, 26, filed the lawsuit against the fisheries company Maruko and Chua International Cooperative at the Hiroshima District Court, Kyodo News reported. He has demanded 7.05 million yen (US$64,000) in compensation.
In January 2018, Amrullah went to Higashihiroshima to work at a fish farm. He took a Japanese language study course offered by the company. He signed a three-year employment contract with Maruko in February 2019 but Chua International forced him to return to Indonesia before he could start working.
Their explanation was that he had “insufficient Japanese proficiency.”
Amrullah stressed the he was forced to leave the country even though he wanted to carry on with his language studies. He is seeking compensation for the whole of the three years of wages he could have earned and an additional sum in compensation for psychological distress.
At a press conference, he said he still wants to work in Japan despite his negative experience with his employer, which said his claim was “not in line with facts.”
Amrullah is also seeking compensation from Maruko for approving his forced return to Indonesia.