Filipino nurses and caregivers already in Japan under the bilateral economic partnership agreement and those to follow need more support, not just to help them pass the Japanese license exam but also to encourage them to stay permanently.
Academic and industry experts from the Philippines and Japan say that while much is demanded from candidate health workers, the governments of both countries, other agencies and Japanese health institutions have a responsibility to help achieve the agreement's objectives in Japan's employment of Filipino nurses and caregivers.
At a recent symposium titled "Migration of Filipino Nurses under the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA): Trends and Challenges" at the University of the Philippines, Keizo Takewaka of the Japanese Embassy in Manila acknowledged "much more" improvement is required in the program's implementation even after the introduction of enhancement measures over the last few years.