Foreign Workers from South-East Asia: Issues Regarding Acceptance of Nurses and Caregivers under the Economic Partnership Agreements

This paper studies the current situation of foreign workers in Japan by focusing particularly on issues regarding acceptance of nurses and caregivers under the scheme of Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs). The dispute over the acceptance of foreign workers in Japan is once again a hot issue in the light of the declining fertility rates and the rapidly aging population since the early 2000s. These have caused the subsequent shortage of young workers, along with the need to take care of elderly people whose numbers will increase sharply. This dispute becomes significant in the light of the proposed bilateral EPAs between Japan and the Philippines, Indonesia and Thailand. It is evident, however, that Japan prefers using the “trainee system” as a “side doors” for unskilled foreign workers, including nurses and caregivers though the EPAs, not genuirely open “front doors” as seen in some developed countries. This paper argues against the Japan\u27s side-door policy of accepting foreign workers. The paper is divided into five parts. The first part reviews the factors affecting the intra-regional movement of foreign workers in present East Asian countries. The second part describes policy issues concerning foreign workers and trends in terms of the number and status of foreign residents in Japan. The increase in demand for health care workers, will also be considered. The third part investigates the outflow of overseas migrant workers from South-East Asian countries and their remittances situation, and the characteristics of South-East Asian workers\u27migration to Japan. The fourth part sums up the acceptance conditions of nurses and caregivers with regard to the EPA, and reviews the various debates. The final part proposes policies for facilitating more effective Japanese immigration policies and the possibility of enhancing labour migration from South-East Asia to Japan