The page has the following sections:
The plight of migrant care workers in Japan: A qualitative study of their stressors on caregiving This is an academic article by Edward Asis and Rogie Royce Carandang in the Journal of Migration and Health, 2020. It highlights the following main points:
The main stressors of migrant care workers in Japan were coworker relationship, language barrier, and work-life balance.
Deteriorating health was one of the primary reasons why most of the migrant care workers desire to quit their job.
Some of the migrant care workers experienced a hostile work environment in their care facility.
The Japanese government is suggested to provide psychosocial support tailored explicitly for migrant care workers.
Despite staff shortages, foreign care workers still face barriers to jobs in Japan This article focuses on the story of Reia Zafra who is a Filipino care worker in Japan and argues that the biggest barrier for foreign care workers is Japanese language abilty especially reading and writing. Mainichi, 31 Aug 2018
Foreign Care Workers in Japan: A Policy Without a Vision This articles criticizes changes in the law in 2017 to make it easier for foreign care workers to work in Japan because they do not solve the long-term problems in japan's system of care work. It also looks at reasons why foreign care workers leave their jobs in Japan with the second part focusing on language issues. Nippon.com, 13 Feb 2017.
Japan’s need for foreign labor to get dire as 2050 nears Focusing on care workers, this article looks at how the technical internship training programme is used as "back door" immigration to bring unskilled foreign workers into Japan and at how official immigration policy differs from the reality of immigration in Japan. Japan Times, 31 Dec 2017.
Foreign nursing care workers to be invited to Japan under intern program The health ministry has approved a plan to include nursing care under the technical intern training program for foreigners to help increase the number of foreign care workers and solve a labor shortage in Japan’s aging society. Japan Times, 27 Jan 2015.Lonely and homesick, foreign care workers return to their home countries This article looks at some of the reports why some foreign caregivers who pass the exam to work in Japan are leaving after a few months or years. Asahi Shimbun, 24 May, 2013
Programs to train foreign nurses still falling short With its rapidly aging population, Japan will need to increasingly rely on help provided by foreign health care workers. Unfortunately, programs to accept nurses from Indonesia and the Philippines as part of Japan’s economic cooperation with these countries have not worked out as well as had been envisioned. A radical reform of the system to train foreign nurses is in order. Asahi Shimbun, 30 Mar, 2013.
Kanagawa to ramp up foreign caregivers: Prefecture aims to drop Japanese test to plug labor shortage This article discuss splans by Kanagawa prefecture to hire foreign nurses based on their overseas nursing qualifications even if they haven't passed the Japanese nursing proficiency test. This follows a decision by the Japanese government to allow some prefectures to do this as part of the 'third arrow of Abenomics'. Japan Times, 7 June 2014.
Foreign Nurses and Care Workers in Japan: Reform Needed by Wakisaka Noriyuki. This articles asks why so many young people from Indonesia and the Philippines wanting to work in Japan as nurses or caregivers either can't obtain the qualifications for this or leave after they do qualify. It looks at the difficulties of the tests for foreign candidates as well as differences in the working environment for foreign nurses in Japan and argues that a fundamental change in the system is needed to make it easier for foreign nurses to get jobs in Japan. Nippon.com, 13 June 2012.
First Vietnamese nurse candidates to arrive in June The Foreign Ministry said Friday that 138 Vietnamese candidates for nurse and caregiver jobs will arrive in Japan on June 6 under an economic partnership agreement. Japan Times, 30 March, 2014
Foreign nursing students get second chance An article about a programme by the Kaikokai group, which runs Nagoya Kyoritsu Hospital, to support some Indonesian nurses to take the nursing exam a second time in order to help them become able to work in Japan. Japan Times, Feb 28, 2014.
Give foreign nurses in Japan a boost by treating accord as long-term remedy for labor shortages An article that argues that the Japanese language test for foreign nurses and care givers is still too tough, and that the Japanese government is not really serious about using foreign labour to meet the shortage of 40,000 nurses and caregivers in Japan. Japan Times, 2 Feb 2014.
Only 30 foreigners pass nursing exam despite extra help An article that explains that the number of Indonesians and Filipinos who passed the exam to become nurses fell to 9.6% in 2013 despite the government making the Japanese language test easier for foreign candidates. It also looks at plans by the government to encourage nursing care facilities to use foreign nurses and care givers. Japan Times, March 26, 2013.
Foreign nurse success story has message for Japan: Open up - Indonesian who passed test cites snail's pace of reform This article looks at the story of one Indonesian nurse who was finally successful in passing the nursing exam, as well as at the need for foreign nurses and foreign labour more generally in Japan, arguing that the government is not doing enough to encourage immigration of nurses or other workers. Japan Times, Jan 9, 2013.
Acceptance of Foreign Nurses and Care Workers - A Potential Panacea for Resource Shortage? by Hisashi Uemura, Professor, School of Human Sciences, Waseda University An article arguing against the acceptance of foreign nurses and care workers, and arguing that the shortage of nurses and care workers has to be solved by Japanese society putting more financial resources into paying Japanese young people to enter these professions. Yomiuri Shimbun, 2009(?)
Foreign nurses face the Kanji hurdle An article by Kimie Takahashi that argues that little has been done to find practical solutions to the language problems faced by foreign caregivers in Japan and that foreign caregivers, Japanese co-workers and Japanese management should all work together to find solutions rather than blame non-Japanese workers. Language on the Move, 17 Feb, 2010.
What's behind foreigners working at nursing care facilities in Japan? A basic question and answer explanation of the Economic Partnership Agreement scheme for Indonesian and Filipino nurses and care c cb b bgivers to work in Japan. It explains the scheme, some criticsims of it, and what it effects it may have. Mainichi, March 29, 2012.
Foreign nurses: Language sets high hurdle for caregiver candidates In 2010, the first three foreign nurses passed Japan's basic nursing examinaiton under the EPA scheme, but only 1.2% of the284 foreign aplicantswere successful compared with 89.5% of test tkakers overall. This article includes basic questions and answers about foreign nurse and caregiver applicants entering Japan under the EPAs. Japan Times, 11 May 2010.
BIMA CONC (Cooperation for Overseas Nurses and Care Workers) Foundation helping people who want to come to Japan under EPA programme, nurses and care takers who came to Japan from Indonesia and Philippine, and Japanese people who accept them. They support them by teaching Japanese language, culture, and social system like tax and welfare.