The government plans to give Filipinos and Indonesians seeking to become nurses and caregivers in Japan an extra year in the country to prepare for qualifying exams, Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida said Tuesday.
The special measure is based on the low passing rates so far for the prospective health care workers from the two Southeast Asian countries, who eventually hope to gain employment here under bilateral free trade accords.
The move will benefit about 500 candidate nurses and caregivers who came to Japan without undergoing six-month-long Japanese language training sessions to help boost their chances of passing the qualifying exams.