The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry will allow up to 400 nurses and 600 nursing care workers from the Philippines to work in Japan for at least two years, said ministry official Tomohiro Kamiya. The program could start as early as April 2007.

The decision came as Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo signed the agreement on the sidelines of the Asia-Europe Meeting in Helsinki, Finland, on Sept. 9.

Filipino nurses and care workers will be required to take six months of Japanese classes unless they demonstrate fluency.

The Japan Times Weekly: Sept. 16, 2006
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