Labour Minister Ith Sam Heng on Saturday led a delegation to Japan, where he will sign deals with his Japanese counterpart that are expected to increase the number of Cambodian trainee workers in the country, an official said yesterday.

Sam Heng is scheduled to sign a memorandum of understanding with Japan’s minister of health, labour and welfare on Tuesday regarding training and work opportunities for Cambodians in Japan, according to Heng Sour, spokesman for Cambodia’s Ministry of Labour.

Japan already accepts Cambodians as trainee workers, and Sour did not comment on what the new deals on Tuesday will entail.

Sam Heng met yesterday with Masaya Suzuki, the head of a Tokyo-based association training 80 Cambodians in agriculture, construction and geriatrics, according to a post on the labour minster’s Facebook page.

Sam Heng thanked the union for supporting the workers and encouraged the organisation to continue to recruit Cambodians, the post said, before also hinting that Tuesday’s deals would make the recruitment process easier for Japanese firms.

“The two countries will shorten the documentation process for the recruitment of [Cambodian trainee workers] in Japan,” the post read.