TOKYO: Japan plans to launch a project this summer to export the country’s nursing care system and reap profits by helping other Asian countries such as China and Thailand cope with rapidly aging populations, government sources said Sunday.
The Japanese government views medical and nursing care as a strategic growth area and hopes to introduce Japanese nursing care services to the rest of Asia and boost exports of robots and other related equipment, the sources said.
The new public-private initiative is expected to enable Japan, one of the world’s fastest aging countries, to share its expertise and technology in nursing care with other Asian countries. Led by the Cabinet Secretariat, the project will seek to lower barriers for Japanese nursing care providers aiming to enter Asian markets through government-to-government talks.
It will also help Japanese nursing care companies make forays overseas by encouraging lending to them via the government-linked Japan International Cooperation Agency and a state fund, according to the sources.
A government committee consisting of senior officials from relevant ministries is expected to draw up a basic outline of the project in July and identify the needs of Japanese nursing care companies hoping to do business in Asia. The ruling Liberal Democratic Party is also set to compile its own proposals. According to data compiled by the Cabinet Secretariat, at least 50 Japanese companies engaged in nursing care have been doing business overseas or plan to do so.
Challenges often faced by such companies include overcoming differences in nursing care systems and raising awareness of the need for quality care services, experts said. In some Asian countries, many people hesitate to place parents in nursing care facilities. There are also difficulties in securing enough caregivers, a situation faced by Japan as well.
Under free trade agreements, Japan has been accepting would-be caregivers from Indonesia, the Philippines, and Vietnam to give them necessary training. The Japanese government is also planning to add nursing care to its list of industries that can accept foreigners under its technical training program. The new project will aim to hire individuals who returned home after undergoing training as caregivers in Japan, the sources said.
