60% of Brazilians living in Hamamatsu (Japan) unemployed / ブラジル人６割失業・解雇予告 浜松

Act City, Hamamatsu.

Hamamatsu is a very underrated city and one of my favourites in Japan - it's located about an hour to the south and a bit to the east of Nagoya, about a third of the way to Tokyo, and has an awesome climate as well as a great music scene for a city of its size (800,000). It also has a lot of Brazilians and Japanese-Brazilians, children of former Japanese immigrants to Brazil that have since returned.

Over at city hall there is also a Portuguese service window, and a lot of cities nearby also have quite a few Brazilians, extending into Aichi-ken, where Nagoya is located.

Here are some parts of the article from the Yomiuri Shimbun:

　経済情勢の急速な悪化の影響で、浜松市に住んで働いているブラジル人の６割超が失業しているか解雇を予告されていることが、市が行った調査で明ら かになった。市は「調査方式から、結果には偏りがある可能性はあるが、予想以上に深刻な結果」としており、市も参加する支援団体「がんばれブラジル人会 議」は、仕事など生活関連の情報をブラジル人に提供する催しを１５日に市内で開くなど、支援を強化する方針だ。

An investigation by the city of Hamamatsu has revealed that due to the effects of a rapidly worsening economy have resulted in 60% of Brazilians working in Hamamatsu being unemployed or being told that they are to be laid off. The city says that "due to the method of investigation the results might be a bit skewed, but it's still a worse result than we had expected". The "Let's Go Brazilians Council", in which the city also participates, intends to increase support by such methods as an event on the 15th to give information on work and daily life to Brazilians in the city.

　同市内には約１万９０００人のブラジル人が住む。調査は、景気後退を受けた市の緊急経済対策の一環として１月２４日～２月１３日に実施し、市内に 住む１５～７３歳のブラジル人２７７３人が回答した。ポルトガル語を話すことができる調査員が、ブラジル人が多く集まる場所に出向き、対面方式で行った。

About 19,000 Brazilians live in Hamamatsu. The survey was part of an emergency economic strategy for the city after being hit by the economic downturn and was carried out from January 24 to February 13, interviewing 2773 Brazilians within the city from 15 to 73 years of age. Surveyors fluent in Portuguese went around to places where Brazilians gathered in large numbers to interview them.

　調査によると、２７７３人のうち１３１３人が「失業している」と回答したほか、「解雇を予告されている」と答えた人も３８４人に上り、全体の ６１・２％が事実上失業状態だった。

According to the survey, 1313 of the 2773 said they were unemployed and 384 said they had been told they were laid off, giving an unemployment rate of 61.2%.

　一方、働いている１０５６人に雇用形態を尋ねたところ、「派遣」が６５・４％を占め、不安定な雇用形態に身を置く人が多数に上る実情が明らかになった。

Also, of the 1056 people that were employed, 65.4% said that they were involved in temp work, showing that the majority of those employed were still in an uncertain situation.

１５日午後１時半～７時に、アクトシティ浜松展示イベントホール（浜松市中区）で、支給が決まった定額給付金や仕事などについて、ブラジル 人を対象に主にポルトガル語で情報提供を行うイベント「がんばれ！ブラジル人」を行う。１８日には、静岡、山梨両県の国際ロータリークラブが募った食料や 支援金が同会議に贈られ、ブラジル人への支援に充てられる。

In the afternoon of the 15th there will be a "Let's go Brazilians!" event from 1 to 7 pm at the Act City Hamamatsu Exhibition Event Hall (downtown Hamamatsu) where Brazilians will be given information in Portuguese on flat-rate benefits (a policy enacted in 2008 to aid foreigners living in Japan) and employment. On the 18th the International Rotary Clubs of Shizuoka and Yamanashi prefectures will give the food and aid money gathered to the council, which will be used to help Brazilians.