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The Yomiuri Shimbun People listen to the explanation of an Indian official during a seminar at the Ibaraki prefectural government office on Dec. 26.
By Eri Shimamura / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer
7:00 JST, January 10, 2025
MITO — In an effort to address the shortage of workers in various fields, including agriculture and welfare, the Ibaraki prefectural government has begun to focus on accepting workers from India.
Facing low birth rate and aging population concerns, the prefecture is experiencing a marked decline in population. Amid intensifying global competition for human resources, the prefecture has turned its attention to India as an “untapped” source, aiming to discover skilled and talented workers ahead of other prefectures.
On Dec. 26, about 50 people from welfare business operators and other businesses in the prefecture attended an online seminar held at the prefectural government office on the potential of Indian workers in the field of nursing care.
An official of an agency that dispatches people to Japan from India explained that the strength of India lies in areas such as finance and information technology, and they are preparing to be able to send advanced human resources to Japan.
During the seminar, regional characteristics of India were also explained. According to an Indian official, southern India is home to many Japanese companies, and many people there have a positive attitude toward Japan.
Toshiko Hiratsuka, 74, director of social welfare corporation Seishukai in Tsuchiura, Ibaraki Prefecture, was among the seminar participants. “I learned that there are many motivated people in India. I definitely want them to work at our facilities,” Hiratsuka said.
According to the prefectural government’s labor policy division and the Japan External Trade Organization’s Ibaraki office, people from India, a country where 22 languages are spoken, use English in their daily lives. They also said people in India are highly capable and have a strong desire to work overseas.
Meanwhile, competition for employment in India is becoming fierce among highly skilled university graduates due to rapid population growth. The unemployment rate is also said to be higher than in other countries.
At present, many of foreign workers in Ibaraki Prefecture are from Southeast Asian countries. But there have been concerns about their losing interest in working in Japan in recent years because of increased wages in their own countries.
That is the reason the prefecture has turned its attention to India.
In July, Ibaraki Gov. Kazuhiko Oigawa visited India and signed a memorandum of understanding with Amity University and released a joint statement with RV University to cooperate in dispatching human resources from India to Japan, among other things.
This is believed to be the first time for a prefecture in Japan to sign a memorandum of understanding with an Indian university regarding the acceptance of workers from India
As of December 2023, there were 352 “highly skilled foreign professionals” from India in the prefecture, including university graduates with specialized knowledge and skills, an increase of around 1.7 times over two years.
There are said to be many people in India hoping to work in Japan because of Japan’s cleanliness and safety. “We want to create an environment where foreign nationals can live comfortably and help them settle in,” an official of the prefectural division said.
