KUALA LUMPUR -  Japan is stepping up efforts to recruit Indian healthcare workers as part of moves to ease a deepening shortage of caregivers nationwide.

Major care service provider Sompo Care Inc. has expanded its recruitment programme in India, targeting candidates with nursing backgrounds and giving them about nine months of training in the Japanese language and caregiving skills before they begin work in Japan.

Earlier this year, the first group of six Indian trainees arrived under the Specified Skilled Worker visa scheme, adding to Sompo Care’s existing workforce of about 300 foreign employees, mostly from the Philippines and Myanmar.

The head of the firm’s overseas business office, Mitsuru Sakoda said Japanese and foreign employees are treated equally, and high performers can advance to management roles.

“We do not treat Japanese and foreign employees differently, so those who perform well can even aim for management positions,” said Mitsuru.

One of the recruits, 25 year old Rincy George, is now working at a nursing home in Tokyo’s Taito Ward after leaving her nursing job in India due to limited opportunities and low pay.

“Japan is safe and there are many job opportunities. I would  like to become a certified care worker in the future,” she added.

Government estimates show Japan could face a shortage of about 570,000 care workers by fiscal 2040 as demand rises sharply with an ageing population.

To address this, Japan introduced the Specified Skilled Worker programme in 2019, allowing foreign workers with relevant skills to take up jobs quickly in key sectors such as caregiving.

As of the end of June 2025, about 54,000 foreign caregivers were working in Japan under the scheme, with Indonesians, Vietnamese and Myanmar nationals accounting for around 70% of the total.

Although Indian workers still number only about 300, their presence has grown by 73% year on year, reflecting Japan’s widening search for overseas labour to support its care sector.