Japan has decided to ease the requirements for nursing care homes to hire overseas technical interns, the country’s Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare has announced.
This policy, which aims to tackle the increasing labor shortages in this sector, is set to take effect in the 2025 fiscal year, VisaGuide.World reports.
At present, Japan’s technical intern training scheme allows only nursing care homes that have been functioning for more than three years to hire overseas workers, as reported by Jiji Press.
However, under the new rules, care homes that have not been operational for three years will also be able to recruit international workers if the agencies that run them were created more than three years ago.
Care homes whose agencies were created less than three years ago will also be entitled to hire foreign interns as long as they meet specific criteria, such as providing training for overseas trainees.
Japan to Expand Eligibility for Foreign Workers Providing Home-Visit Nursing Care Services
In addition to the above-mentioned announcements, Japan is planning to expand the list of foreign caregivers who can offer in-home visit nursing care services.
At present, only holders of a nursery care visa and certified care workers from countries that have an economic partnership agreement (EPA) are permitted to provide such services.
However, under the proposed regulations, the list will expand to technical trainees, workers with a particular skills visa, and licensed care worker applicants from countries with which Japan has EPAs.
Japan in Dire Need of Physicians & Medical Staff
The number of licensed care workers in Japan has surged over the past decade, reaching nearly 1.94 million in 2023.
According to Statista, this figure is anticipated to grow further in the coming years due to the increasing aging population in Japan.
Due to the low birth rates and the high life expectancy, the number of people aged 65 and older in Japan is increasing and is projected to reach a share of over 38 percent of the population in Japan by 2060.
As further revealed, the number of elderly residents in nursing care facilities has been increasing, and Japan is grappling with a shortage of physicians and medical staff.
To address the shortages, Japan is looking to attract overseas workers through schemes such as the technical intern training program.