Japan-Philippines Free Trade Agreement: Oppotunities for the movement of workers

With the movement of capital, goods, and services, comes the movement of people as a driving force of globalization. This paper explores the recently forged free trade agreement (FTA) between the Philippines and Japan on the movement of workers. Considering the asymmetric demographic and development trends between the two countries, this paper explores the possibility of meeting the needs of both countries to increase productivity, within the context of bilateral trade. Although the FTA has been ratified, there are operational issues that need to be addressed to move it forward. These include language certification, mutual recognition of professional qualifications, overcoming cultural apprehensions and finally, the protection of the rights of migrant workers. Keywords