Due to the declining birthrate and aging population, the nursing care sector continues to face persistent labor shortages even amid COVID-19. In particular, because new entry of foreign nationals is currently halted, international talent in nursing care who were scheduled to enter Japan cannot do so, and some care facilities that had counted on those workers face even more severe staffing shortages.

This article explains planned acceptance of foreign workers in the nursing care sector, focusing on the Specified Skilled Worker system.

Planned Acceptance of Foreign Workers in the Nursing Care Sector

Several statuses of residence are currently available for nursing care. This article focuses on planned acceptance in the nursing care sector under the Technical Intern Training Program and the Specified Skilled Worker system.

When the Specified Skilled Worker system began, the government set five-year acceptance targets for each of the 14 Specified Skilled Worker fields.

For nursing care, the target was set at 60,000 people. Due to COVID-19, the number of foreign nationals who have obtained Specified Skilled Worker status remains far below the targets across all 14 fields, and nursing care is similarly low. As of the end of March 2021, only 1,705 foreign nationals were residing in Japan under Specified Skilled Worker status for nursing care.

At present, international students in Japan and foreign nationals who have completed Technical Intern Training (ii) or higher—even if their technical intern training was originally in a different occupation—may also work in nursing care under Designated Activities permitted as a special measure.

Requirements for Foreign Nationals to Obtain Specified Skilled Worker Status in Nursing Care

There are specifically the following four methods (1)–(4) to obtain status of residence in the Specified Skilled Worker nursing care field.

Compared with other Specified Skilled Worker fields, there are more pathways to obtain Specified Skilled Worker status in nursing care.

(1) Pass the skills test and Japanese language tests

Candidates must pass the Nursing Care Skills Evaluation Test and, to prove Japanese language ability, pass either the Japan Foundation Test for Basic Japanese or the Japanese-Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) N4 or higher, as well as the Nursing Care Japanese Language Evaluation Test.

Particular care is needed regarding proof of Japanese language ability. For other occupations, meeting only “the Japan Foundation Test for Basic Japanese or the Japanese-Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) N4 or higher” is sufficient, but for nursing care, candidates must also pass the Nursing Care Japanese Language Evaluation Test.

(2) Complete Technical Intern Training (ii) or higher in nursing care

Those who complete Technical Intern Training (ii) (at least 2 years and 10 months) are exempt from the tests and proof of Japanese language ability and

can obtain Specified Skilled Worker status in nursing care.

(3) Complete a certified care worker training facility

By attending a training facility for a minimum of two years (in the case of junior colleges or vocational schools), candidates can obtain the right to apply for Specified Skilled Worker status in nursing care.

(4) Complete the period of stay (four years) as an EPA certified care worker candidate

EPA is a framework for accepting and supporting nurse and certified care worker candidates from Indonesia, the Philippines, and Vietnam. In nursing care, candidates work and train for four years, and those who complete the four years can unconditionally obtain Specified Skilled Worker status in nursing care.

Planned Acceptance in Nursing Care Using the Technical Intern Training Program

The nursing care occupation, added to the Technical Intern Training Program in November 2017, had approximately 18,000 technical intern training plans certified as of October 2020. Compared with other technical intern training occupations, more detailed rules apply, and Japanese language ability of JLPT N4 or higher is required.

Requirements for accepting organizations are also stricter than for other occupations, so advance preparation takes time before acceptance can begin.

Government Initiatives to Promote Acceptance of International Nursing Care Talent

The Japanese government has announced that it will work on the following environmental improvements to enable smooth acceptance of foreign workers in nursing care, a field where acceptance is expected to increase rapidly.

(1) Improving the environment for the Nursing Care Skills Evaluation Test required for Specified Skilled Worker status

Foreign nationals without experience such as technical intern training conducted in Japan or abroad who wish to work directly in nursing care as Specified Skilled Workers must pass the Nursing Care Skills Evaluation Test.

To increase the number of foreign nationals who take and pass this test, the government has announced it will focus on increasing the number of test sessions and opportunities to take the test overseas.

(2) Improving the environment for the Nursing Care Japanese Language Evaluation Test required for Specified Skilled Worker status

As with (1), the government has announced it will focus on increasing the number of test sessions and overseas testing opportunities for the Nursing Care Japanese Language Evaluation Test, which foreign nationals who wish to work in nursing care as Specified Skilled Workers must pass.

(3) Activities to promote acceptance of international nursing care talent

The government plans to actively conduct PR and other activities to increase the number of international nursing care talent accepted.

(4) Activities to support acceptance of international nursing care talent

It has announced that group training and similar programs to improve nursing care skills will be actively conducted at accepting nursing care facilities and elsewhere.

As a concrete support measure, prefectures, designated cities, and core cities will serve as implementing bodies and provide subsidies for expenses required for group training conducted by facilities that accept technical intern trainees and Specified Skilled Workers in nursing care, among other activities.

Subsidies are expected to cover expenses needed to train instructors who can deliver training to technical intern trainees and Specified Skilled Workers, and to conduct training for staff who provide technical guidance at nursing care facilities that employ technical intern trainees and Specified Skilled Workers, among other costs.

(5) Japanese language learning support projects for nursing care

To create an environment in which foreign nationals working in nursing care can study Japanese independently, the government has announced it will develop and operate web content for Japanese language learning in the nursing care field, among other measures.

Development and operation are already underway, and as of 2019 learning textbooks for the Specified Skilled Worker evaluation tests had been created and published.

(6) Consultation and support projects for international nursing care talent

The government has announced it will establish systems for foreign nationals working in nursing care to seek advice on concerns, hold consultation sessions and networking events nationwide, and conduct site visits to accepting facilities where Specified Skilled Workers in nursing care are employed, among other measures.

It is advancing systems that enable consultation by phone, email, and SNS, and has already held consultation sessions and networking events for international nursing care talent across Japan.

Acceptance of foreign workers in nursing care under the Specified Skilled Worker system, which took effect in April 2019, uses the newest among the various statuses of residence for nursing care. Laws and other arrangements change frequently, so it is necessary to study continuously and obtain accurate information.

As noted among the government initiatives, because Specified Skilled Worker is a new system, particularly focused promotion is expected.

For nursing care, the government has already announced acceptance of 60,000 foreign nationals over five years under the Specified Skilled Worker system—the highest target among the 14 Specified Skilled Worker fields. Further focus after COVID-19 subsides is therefore expected in order to meet the target.

Summary

This article introduced future prospects for accepting foreign workers in nursing care with a focus on the Specified Skilled Worker system, and also explained government initiatives to promote acceptance of international nursing care talent.

In nursing care, multiple statuses of residence are available in addition to the Specified Skilled Worker system, so it is necessary to carefully consider in advance which status of residence is best for acceptance.

There is no doubt that this is a field in which the government is particularly promoting the use of foreign workers, so please acquire accurate knowledge and put acceptance into practice.