In modern society, it is no longer unusual to see people from overseas living in Japan. In some communities, however, they are not readily accepted, and this often leads to trouble. Greater understanding of people from overseas will be needed going forward.

When accepting foreign care workers, support is needed not only at work but also in their private lives.

In particular, facilities must inform local residents in advance that they will be accepting foreign nationals and create an environment in which the whole community can offer support; otherwise, serious problems can arise.

Garbage disposal issues

This became a problem at the author’s facility as well when we first began accepting workers.

Specifically, issues included incorrect sorting of garbage, not using designated garbage bags, and putting trash out on the wrong days, among others.

The cause is simply that awareness of and habits around garbage sorting like those in Japan have not been established.

For example, in Indonesia, which is common among foreign care workers, garbage sorting is not the norm, and waste is disposed of casually in bags.

Unlike in Japan, there is no weekly collection on set days by garbage collectors, and disposal locations are not fixed, so in some areas practices close to what would be called illegal dumping in Japan take place.

These are long-established customs and are difficult to change quickly. That said, if the same things are done in Japan, they can easily lead to trouble with local residents who manage and try to keep garbage collection points clean, so caution is needed.

The author’s approach has included having them read materials that some municipalities distribute for foreign residents on garbage sorting and collection days; actually sorting garbage together to build awareness; and, because days for paper, PET bottles, and bulky waste come only once a month, writing them on a calendar and giving reminders the day before so they are not confused with other days.

Some communities are quite strict, so we hope they can get along with local residents without causing unnecessary trouble.

Give advance notice

When accepting foreign care workers, be sure to inform people in advance that foreign nationals will be coming to live there.

This did not happen at the author’s facility, but another facility experienced the following trouble.

A facility that accepted workers from Myanmar received complaints from local residents.

Comments included “I suddenly noticed foreigners living here,” “They live in a group and seem suspicious,” and “Can they follow community rules?”

For example, when we move, we also go around to greet neighbors. Recently more people skip these greetings, but in areas where foreign nationals are rarely seen, communities can be exclusive, so advance notice is essential. That facility apparently did not provide it.

Even though our facilities provide support, round-the-clock support is practically impossible, and cooperation from local residents is indispensable. For that reason, inform people in advance about who will be coming and how they will live, and work to promote understanding.

As for what to communicate, in addition to where they are from, unlike some other foreign nationals they have often acquired the Japanese needed for daily life.

The language barrier is significant, and there are concerns that if they do not understand the language they cannot communicate. Please convey that ordinary conversation is not a problem.

Create opportunities for foreign care workers to fit into the community

That said, acceptance is unlikely to come from explanation alone.

Facilities must therefore create opportunities for foreign care workers to become part of the community.

For example, nursing care facilities typically plan and run various events throughout the year. Including opportunities to interact with local residents—so people can see what foreign care workers do and engage with them directly—makes acceptance smoother.

Going and engaging directly can be difficult, so when the facility acts as an intermediary, local residents can feel more comfortable speaking up. By all means, create opportunities for interaction.

At the author’s facility, a cultural festival is held once a year. We had our Indonesian staff run a stall serving Indian food, providing the food and, through customer service, helping people

understand who they are.

Local residents who at first watched from a distance gradually approached the stall, placed orders, and began to interact. Since then, we actively invite them to any events where they can engage with the community.

Create opportunities to connect with people from the same country

Some people become homesick when they suddenly start living in Japan. The author’s facility accepted three people at the same time and currently accepts nine, but at first there were only three, with no acquaintances or friends nearby, so we put them through a quite difficult experience.

They also need to study Japanese, so it is hard for those three alone to get by, and support from those around them is essential.

Within that, create opportunities for them to connect with people from the same country.

The reason is not only so they can go out and have fun together, but also so they can share and discuss difficulties and worries, and study together.

Help them learn community rules

As with the garbage disposal issues mentioned earlier, attention must also be paid to community rules.

For example, neighborhood associations exist in each area.

Some places collect association fees from people who live in the area, and these are used for managing garbage collection points, community activity costs, and the like.

Participation in local festivals and cleanup activities is also often required.

It is easy to decline, but that can lead to harassment or exclusionary treatment—something not uncommon even among Japanese people. With foreign nationals, it can be expected to become even harsher. To prevent that, they need a solid grasp of community rules.

Some rules, however, are extreme. Near the author’s facility, annual association fees of several tens of thousands of yen are sometimes collected, and because the area has lively festivals, the funds tend to go toward taiko floats, portable shrines, and the like.

For foreign care workers, those amounts are naturally a painful expense, so facilities must also secure housing as part of their support.

At that time, thoroughly understand the rules of the housing area, and if there are rules that could invite unnecessary trouble, we recommend building conditions into housing selection such as not placing people there.

Summary

Accepting foreign care workers is not the end of the process. In fact, the hard part begins after acceptance.

Support is needed not only at work but also in daily life.

The scope is wide-ranging, and many things will only become clear once people actually live in the area.

Gather information about the area around the housing and, because things Japanese people take for granted are of course unknown to them, explain with picture cards or written materials and present information in easy-to-understand ways.

Also set up an accessible consultation channel so they can easily share whether they have had any difficulties after moving in or whether they have been able to interact with local residents, and build a system that can take in requests and concerns.

Doing so helps prevent gaps from forming unnoticed with local residents and escalating into trouble. Avoiding trouble entirely is very difficult—it has happened many times at the author’s facility as well—but what matters is that the facility steps in between.

Otherwise, foreign care workers may dislike living there and, in the worst case, return to their home country. To prevent that, even when trouble arises, the facility must mediate and seek solutions together.