Japan eyes hiring more Filipino workers

Japan is eyeing hiring more Filipino workers, especially caregivers for the elderly, Speaker Martin Romualdez said Tuesday.

Romualdez, in a statement, said a Philippine congressional delegation secured the said commitment from top Japanese parliamentarians during their high-level discussions with National Diet of Japan Speaker Fukushiro Nukaga and Vice Speaker Banri Kaieda held at the Tokyo parliamentary building in Japan.

Kaieda, Romualdez said, acknowledged Japan’s demographic challenges and the valuable contribution of Filipino workers in filling that gap.

“Japan is facing a decrease in population, and in this regard, Japan truly appreciates the Filipinos working here, especially elderly care workers,” Kaieda was quoted as saying.

“We are looking forward to welcoming more Filipinos to work in Japan,” Kaieda added.

Romualdez, for his part, emphasized the potential for enhanced cooperation between the two nations.

"The Philippines has a growing population, so we are more than happy for our people to come and work here after receiving the appropriate training," Romualdez said.

Romualdez added that he hopes that the cooperation between the two countries will go beyond the deployment of health workers.

“It [also] creates an ideal environment for Japan to continue investing in the Philippines, not just in human resources but in Japanese-trained human resources, which will further promote economic cooperation between our countries,” Romualdez said.

The House leader then thanked the Japanese government for providing a safe working and living environment for 300,000 Filipinos residing in Japan, as well as Japan’s leading role in providing economic assistance to the Philippines through official development assistance and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

Government records show that of the more than 300,000 Filipinos in Japan, around 164,000 of them work in the caregiving, agriculture, hospitality and manufacturing sectors.

In response, Speaker Nukaga said Japan and the Philippines, which are both island nations, “have a strong foundation to build good relations and friendly bridges.” —VAL, GMA Integrated News