Southeast Asian Nurses and Caregiving Workers Transcending the National Boundaries: An Overview of Indonesian and Filipino Workers in Japan and Abroad

Abstract

One year after Japan became a "super-aging society" in 2007, she began to receive Indonesian and Filipino nurses and caregiving workers into its labor market. This new government-to-government (G-G) program commenced in accordance with Japan's Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) with the Philippines and Indonesia having large young populations. Between 2008 and 2011, a total of 1, 360 Indonesian and Filipino nurse and certified care-worker "candidates" have entered Japan, and have been under training and employment across the Japanese archipelago. Expectedly or unexpectedly, they have encountered a number of problems at the hospital or the elderly-care facility that was not opened to foreign workers until recently. This paper addresses the past implementation of the EPA provision "Movement of Natural Persons" and reactions among the nursing associations in Japan, the Philippines and Indonesia to controversial EPA programs. It also explores the current situation of Filipino and Indonesian nurses/care workers in their countries as well as abroad to deepen understanding of different views and stances of the governments and nursing/care workers in the field of "emotional labor." Its discussions entail the possibilities and limitations of border-crossing care managed by the state in the country of linguistic homogeneity.