Japan sends delegation to help Pinoy nurses, caregivers

YOKOHAMA – The Japanese government has sent a delegation to the Philippines to help Filipinos find jobs here as nurses and caregivers.

Ambassador Belen Anota, Philippine embassy charge d’ affaires, said Japanese officials had talked with the Department of Labor and Employment, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, Philippine Overseas Employment Administration and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration on how they could assist caregivers and nurses from the Philippines so they could pass the required examinations.

Anota said President Aquino’s visit here for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit could also help reinforce what he and Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan had discussed in Vietnam.

Anota explained the balance of trade between the Philippines and Japan remained in favor of Manila, which has continued to receive aid and other official development assistance from Tokyo.

At present, around 300,000 Filipinos live and work in this country.

Anota said there are more skilled workers from the Philippines coming in now.

She said the composition had changed from mostly entertainers to professionals such as professors, engineers, and architects.

“The Philippines and Japan are serious about how our nurses and caregivers can easily pass the exams,” Anota said.

Under the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement, Filipino nurses and caregivers should be able to pass an examination and learn the local language to be able to work in this country.

Mr. Aquino said the JPEPA was up for review in 2011 and during his talk with Kan, he raised the issue of relaxation of the language requirement and the use of internationally approved symbology and abbreviations.

“They are looking into it... Training in the Japanese language before deployment, among other things. There’s of course a review by both parties of all the pertinent rules,” Mr. Aquino said in Manila last Wednesday.