A Myanmar woman who complained about abuse at a farm wipes away tears during a news conference in Sapporo’s Chuo Ward on Aug. 21, 2026. (Mainichi/Takumi Taniguchi)
SAPPORO — A group of six Myanmar workers tearfully described frequent violence and verbal abuse at a farm in Hokkaido to reporters at an Aug. 21 press conference.
“Every morning when I woke up, I lived in fear, wondering, ‘What is waiting for me today?’ and ‘How will I be beaten and scolded?'” one of the workers said.
The allegations involve suspected assaults against foreign employees working under the “specified skilled worker” status of residence at a farm operated by an agricultural corporation in the town of Kyogoku, Hokkaido.
According to the Sapporo General Union, which has sheltered the six men and women, the agricultural corporation at issue has taken on a total of about 30 Myanmar employees since May and more than 20 are believed to still be doing farm work.
A man in his 20s who attended the news conference said, “Before coming to Japan, my days were full of hope. I persuaded my family and came to Japan, telling them that Japan must be a very good country with many kind people.”
A Myanmar man talks about abuse at a farm in Hokkaido during a news conference in Sapporo’s Chuo Ward on Aug. 21, 2026. (Mainichi/Takumi Taniguchi)
However, he said he was subjected to abusive language and physical violence from the day after he started work.
Asked about his impression of a Kyogoku Municipal Assembly member and others believed to be the de facto operators, he said, “They are far removed from the image I originally had of Japanese people. They are frightening figures.”
Another man in his 20s was scolded for damaging harvested produce and was struck several times on the right thigh with a stainless steel rod, among other abuse. The Sapporo General Union plans to file a criminal complaint over the alleged assault.
The alleged violence and verbal abuse were reportedly extended beyond the six workers at the news conference.
Myanmar women claiming they were abused at the farm are seen during a news conference in Sapporo’s Chuo Ward, Aug. 21, 2026. (Mainichi/Takumi Taniguchi)
Three of the four women among the six escaped at night from the agricultural corporation’s dormitory and were sheltered by the labor union. The remaining woman fled alone as far as Aomori Prefecture, counting on an acquaintance, before arriving in Sapporo.
A woman who said she had also been struck with a metal rod murmured, “I hope there are kind people at my next workplace.”
Hajime Suzuki, an adviser to the Sapporo General Union, criticized the corporation, saying, “Hokkaido’s agriculture, fishing and food-processing workplaces cannot function without foreign workers. Protecting human rights means protecting industry and society. Is creating people who say, ‘I hate Japan,’ good for Japan?”
(Japanese original by Takumi Taniguchi, Hokkaido News Department)