Editorial - Golden opportunity

Japan has announced that it is now opening its doors to Filipino nurses and caregivers. Japanese foreign minister Fumio Kishida, who visited Manila last week, made this remark after a meeting with his Filipino counterpart, Department of Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario. 

As part of the drive expanding the economic cooperation between the two countries, the hiring of thousands of Filipino nurses and caregivers by Japan is seen as a giant step in the country's effort to deploy more medical workers overseas.

Undeniably, we have an abundant supply of nurses and caregivers. But the government is having a hard time deploying them overseas because of the slowing global demand on account of the economic meltdown.

For decades, Japan is known as a country with tight requirements for foreign nurses. That is why it ceased to become the preferred destination for Filipino medical workers, who instead opt to look to the west where requirements are lax.

However, with an acute shortage of medical workers for its aging population, Japan is now looking outside for help. Although it is now accepting nurses and caregivers from other countries, certain requirements remain strict. This is expected because Japan has a tradition of employing high quality workers.

The renewed opportunity for Filipino medical workers in Japan is really a welcome development. With the prospect of seeking greener pasture in the western countries remains bleak, the employment opening in Japan is a golden chance for our unemployed Filipino nurses and caregivers.

The oversupply of nurses and caregivers is a result of the government's failure to contain the growing waves in the medical profession. It failed to create measures that should have shifted the tide to towards technology-centered professions that are now more in demand in the global stage.

With the opening of doors in Japan to Filipino medical workers, at least there is hope for those jobless nurses and caregivers to finally nail down employment.