Phl, Japan vow to improve PJEPA

MANILA, Philippines - Things are looking good for Filipino workers, particularly nurses who would like to work in Japan.

After much delay, the 4th Meeting of the Philippines-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement (PJEPA) finally pushed through last Thursday, with both countries affirming their commitment to further improve the agreement.

PJEPA, ratified in 2008, is the first bilateral agreement entered by the Philippines, which include trade in goods, services, investments, movement of natural persons, intellectual property, government procurement, competition, improvement of business environment, and cooperation.

The representatives from both governments, led by Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for International Economic Relations Laura Quiambao-Del Rosario and Japanese Ambassador Toshinao Urabe, took note of certain improvements in issues of business environment, nurses and certified care workers acceptance scheme during the meeting.

Most importantly, the Department of Affairs (DFA) noted a positive vibe in the talks, as both governments pledged their support in ensuring the achievement of the full potential of the PJEPA.

A pressing matter often raised by Manila with Tokyo is the deployment of nurses and health care workers in Japan. 

Japan has one of the strictest requirements in the world when it comes to accepting nurses. A nurse or a healthcare worker must learn the Japanese language first and pass several tests before she can legally work full-time in Japan.

The DFA is hoping that more Filipino nurses would be able to work in Japan if the Japanese government relaxes some rules in accepting healthcare workers.

Del Rosario and Urabe also took note of the progress in each sub-committee after the Third Meeting of the Joint Committee held in February 2011.

Progress reports were made by the co-chairpersons of six (6) PJEPA sub-committees, namely, the sub-committee on trade in goods, on rules of origin, on trade in services, on investment, on movement of natural persons, and on improvement of the business environment.