In a social security theory class held one day in October 2011, we discussed personnel for elderly care. We studied the number of care workers, the proportion of certified care workers, and the arrival of care worker candidates from Indonesia and the Philippines using materials and DVDs. We asked the students to write down their opinions on whether or not Japan should accept care workers from overseas. Here are some of the responses.

Should accept

• With the aging population continuing, I believe the need for care workers will only increase. At that time, if there are foreigners who wish to work in Japan as certified care workers, I think we should actively welcome them. It would also lead to exchanges between Japan and other countries. I think Japan should be more open to the world, not just in the area of caregiving. In today's society, with its declining birthrate and aging population, we will ultimately have no choice but to rely on foreign workers. (R)
• Watching the DVD, I was deeply moved by the passion of the Indonesian people aiming to become certified care workers, and I hope they succeed in Japan. While I had previously thought it would be better to accept them, learning about the situation Indonesians face has changed my mind; I now believe we should actively welcome them. I will be keeping a close eye on future developments. (K)
• Everyone knows that there is a serious shortage of caregivers, but I'm ashamed to admit that I had absolutely no idea that people were coming from abroad to work in this field. I had thought I would be hesitant about receiving care from a foreigner, but after watching this DVD and seeing them diligently studying Japanese, my reservations lessened. The person receiving them said, "There are no borders when it comes to character," and I completely agree. Given the current shortage of caregivers, wouldn't it be a good idea to lower the bar for recruiting care workers? I'm worried that the quality might decline, but I think it wouldn't be such a big problem if they were properly trained. (Ms. M)

If anything, it should be accepted.

• I thought that accepting foreign care workers as part of the EPA would be beneficial for both Japan and the foreign care workers, but I realized that there are many difficulties, such as a lack of information dissemination and differences in perspectives, which have caused a lot of confusion. I felt that we must make it a mutually beneficial arrangement for both Japan and the foreign care workers. (S)
• It has become clear once again that the shortage of personnel in the nursing care field is so severe that it is necessary to accept foreign care workers. However, in reality, there are various problems such as differences in language, religion, and culture. Since accepting personnel from overseas is an unavoidable situation, I think we must prepare the environment on the receiving end. Since they are coming to Japan with the motivation to study nursing care, I think it would be good to accept them. (Ms. A)
• I was surprised to learn that they were planning to accept foreign workers for elderly care. I imagine there would be various difficulties in accepting foreign workers, but given the current shortage of Japanese personnel, I think it would be good to accept them. I think that would alleviate the labor shortage to some extent. However, I also think it's important to have Japanese people who are potential care workers put into employment. (Ms. M)

Rather, it should not be accepted.

• I thought I had no problem accepting foreign care workers, but today I learned for the first time just how incredibly difficult it is for foreigners to work in caregiving in Japan. I particularly felt the weight of the "language barrier." I was reminded of this by the story of a nurse who passed the exam, having reduced her eyesight to 0.2 and sleeping only four hours a night. I couldn't imagine increasing the number of foreign care workers if it meant putting them through such hardship. (K)
• I learned about the EPA system for the first time, and I think it's a bit strange. If the purpose is human exchange, then it's odd that the burden on Japanese receiving facilities is so great, and if the reason is a shortage of personnel, then sending them back home if they don't pass the exam in the fourth year seems like too short a period. (T)
• I understand that there is a shortage of care workers and that many more are needed, but I think it is important to first secure Japanese care workers. I think it is necessary to create a more comfortable working environment, including better wages, and to change the image of care work. It would be meaningless if accepting foreign workers resulted in an increase in "potential care workers." (Y)

It should not be accepted.

• I understand that accepting foreign labor to address the shortage of care workers is logically sound. However, the most important thing is to consider the perspective of the actual care recipients, rather than just the workers themselves. In the caregiving field, where there is a generation gap and communication is difficult even among Japanese people, I believe that cultural differences will be a greater obstacle than language differences. (K)
• I wondered if some people might be there for work or to buy unique Japanese products, far removed from the purpose of providing care. I think it's important to seek a better life in order to make a living, but I believe that caregiving is a job that deals with people's lives, and more time should be taken to plan for accepting them. (Y)
• I felt that the Indonesian concept of caregiving and the Japanese concept of caregiving are different. Also, the Japanese side is looking for people who can immediately put the work into practice, but from what I saw in the video, I think there are only a handful of people with sufficient knowledge and experience. I think that they will not be able to respond in an emergency and it will cause problems, or that they will return to their home country immediately. From the facility's perspective, I think it will only end up being a waste of money and time. (Ms. M)