Kirk here. I reported (that is, presented a translation of someone else's report) about on-the-job injuries experienced by foreigners in Kumamoto some time ago. The report is basically the same, as I recall, with some added details.

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Foreign workers’ occupational accidents: 40% involved workers with less than one year of experience — Insufficient safety training at hiring may be a factor, Kumamoto Labour Bureau

June 26, 2026 — Safety Staff News

The Kumamoto Labour Bureau has compiled data on occupational accidents involving foreign workers that occurred within its jurisdiction in 2025. The number of workers killed or injured in accidents requiring at least four days off work was 60, an increase of 11 from the 49 recorded in 2024.

About 40 percent of the victims had less than one year of work experience. The bureau analyzed the situation as suggesting that “safety and health education at the time of hiring and other training may not be sufficiently provided.”

By status of residence, technical interns accounted for the largest number, at 27 people, or 45 percent, followed by specified skilled workers, at 19 people, or 32 percent. By industry, manufacturing had the highest number, with 22 people, followed by construction with 17, and agriculture and forestry with eight.

Occupational accidents involving foreign workers within the bureau’s jurisdiction have tripled compared with five years ago and are on an upward trend. The Labour Bureau plans to urge employers to provide safety and health education that is easy to understand, including by making use of multilingual warning materials and illustrated teaching materials on hazardous work that have been released by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.
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