The Vietnamese workers Japan depends on are falling through the cracks. One Buddhist nun is trying to catch them.

The Washington Post, Vietnam, 3 February 2022 - In a dimly lit corner next to the altar at Daionji are rows of wooden blocks that bear the names of Vietnamese migrants who have recently died, along with their dates of birth and death, their ages, and their holy names presented to Buddha.

These mortuary tablets represent people who migrated from Vietnam to Japan with the promise of a job or education. But each died alone, often after becoming homeless, jobless or a runaway. They had no loved ones to care for their remains — except one Vietnamese nun: Thich Tam Tri.

The 43-year-old’s temple is a one-stop shop for Vietnamese migrants who have struggled to find a home in Japan, and fills a gaping hole in the social safety net of the world’s third-largest economy. The Vietnamese community has grown tenfold in the past decade and makes up the largest share of foreign workers in the country, but these migrants remain overlooked by the government that relies on their labor and often exploited by the companies that hire them.

“As a nun, my efforts aren’t based on a political motive or wanting to criticize a system, but simply from a humanitarian perspective,” Tri said. “If there is someone in front of me who needs help, it is natural that I want to help them, and I am happy to. Our temple has no gates, and the door is open to everyone 24/7.”

The coronavirus pandemic has exacerbated the isolation of these workers, and to meet the overwhelming need, Tri opened a new location in November. Since April 2020, she has delivered more than 60,000 food and aid packages to Vietnamese residents struggling in the pandemic.

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The Vietnamese workers Japan depends on are falling through the cracks. One Buddhist nun is trying to catch them.

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