EDITORIAL: Foreign care workers

National licensing exams are a huge barrier to foreign nurses and caregivers seeking to work in Japan because the tests contain difficult kanji characters and Japanese technical terms. To improve the situation, a health ministry committee on the issue plans to review the exams and other hurdles. But the proposal is hardly sufficient.

For the nurses' exam, the panel says steps will be taken to lower the language barrier, such as showing English equivalents to Japanese names of diseases and placing kana readings beside difficult kanji.

But it is hard to believe that these measures alone will change the situation significantly. The system should be drastically revised to help these foreign workers learn Japanese and pass the exam.

The program to accept foreign nurses and caregivers was launched two years ago under bilateral economic partnership agreements (EPAs). Under the EPAs with Indonesia and the Philippines, a total of 370 candidates for nursing jobs and 510 prospective caregivers from the two countries arrived in Japan by the end of last fiscal year.

To work as nurses in Japan, the candidates must pass the national certification exam within three years. If unsuccessful, they must return home.

The time limit for caregivers is four years. They can take the exam only once because it requires three years' working experience in Japan before sitting for it.

Last year, foreign nursing candidates took the licensing exam for the first time, but none of them passed. This year, three people passed the test, but the ratio of successful candidates was only 1 percent.

Behind the low success rate is grossly inadequate government support for these candidates. After providing just half a year of language training for the candidates, the state leaves the rest of their training up to the facilities that accept them.

The government has touted this program as a measure to promote the acceptance of highly skilled workers. In fact, however, the scheme effectively forces the foreign workers to return home after working in Japan for a limited period. The situation could lead other countries to doubt whether Japan really wants to accept such foreign workers.

Apparently due to the grim reality of the program, the number of candidates coming to Japan from the two countries in this fiscal year has dropped to less than half their numbers a year ago.

The government has decided to accept foreign nurses and caregivers, and therefore it should ensure that an effective support system is in place to assist them.

First, more Japanese language training should be provided to the candidates before they come to Japan. While in Japan, they must learn a lot about actual nursing and care work in this country.

The accepted candidates have already studied and trained to become nurses or caregivers in their home countries. But the content of their education and training is not the same.

The government should consider developing learning materials in English or the nurses' native languages and establish study and training programs for all of them independent of the facilities that accept them.

It is also important to extend the program periods so that the nurses and caregivers have more opportunities to take the national tests.

One good idea would be creating a scholarship program to allow them to study at training schools for nurses and caregivers as an alternative to studying to pass the exam while working as assistants.

The government should also consider ways to improve the exam for the foreign candidates. One approach worth studying would be testing in English their expert knowledge while using a separate test to judge whether they have the Japanese language skills needed for their jobs.

The challenge of how to reform the system so that Japan won't close the door on these well-qualified, highly motivated foreign workers is a big test for the government.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Aug. 25