A central demand of SMJ is abolishing the Technical Intern Training Program and creating a visa category for foreign nationals finding employment in Japan without restriction on skills and educational attainment.
In July 2008, the former Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), which was in power from August 2009 to December 2012, published a report on foreign workers policies.
[1] Ippei Torii, the secretary general of SMJ, appeared in the 2009 documentary movie "Sour Strawberries – Japan’s Hidden Guest Workers".
As a result, Bustamante’s report widely adopted SMJ’s view on the Technical Intern Training Program stating that "situations amount to slavery or trafficking," and that since there was "no effective system [...] in place to monitor the situation of trainees and technical interns and offer them protection and referral mechanisms, they remained particularly vulnerable and became victims of serious abuses".
[11]In July 2013, Secretary of State John Kerry awarded Ippei Torii with the title of "TIP Report Hero," for being "a forceful leader in anti-trafficking efforts as the secretary general for Solidarity Network with Migrants Japan (SMJ), which has provided shelter and assistance to more than 4,000 foreign workers in Japan who have escaped from exploitative conditions or sought help recovering unpaid wages.
[...] Mr. Torii meets regularly with various ministries that are responsible for oversight of the program, and he has provided guidance to the UN Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Migrants.