TOKYO: Japan is increasingly looking to India as a key source of caregivers as the country grapples with a deepening labour shortage in its care sector caused by rapid population ageing and declining birth rates.
According to government estimates, Japan could face a shortfall of approximately 570,000 care workers by fiscal year 2040, placing immense pressure on healthcare and elderly care systems. In response, both public institutions and private care providers are seeking long-term solutions, with India emerging as a promising partner.
Sompo Care Inc., one of Japan’s leading care service providers, has stepped up efforts to recruit Indian healthcare workers. Since 2024, the company has targeted candidates with nursing backgrounds, providing around nine months of training in Japanese language and caregiving skills before bringing them to Japan.
This year, the first group of six Indian trainees arrived under the Specified Skilled Worker visa programme, introduced in 2019 to allow foreign workers with relevant skills to enter the workforce quickly. Sompo Care currently employs around 300 foreign workers, mainly from the Philippines and Myanmar, but Indian recruitment is gaining momentum.
Mitsuru Sakoda, head of Sompo Care’s overseas business office, said the company offers equal treatment to Japanese and foreign employees, with opportunities for career advancement based on performance.
One of the newly recruited caregivers, 25-year-old Rincy George, now works at a nursing home in Tokyo. Formerly a nurse in India, she cited low wages and limited opportunities as reasons for seeking employment abroad, expressing optimism about building a long-term career in Japan.
As of June 2025, around 54,000 foreign nationals were employed in Japan’s care sector under the Specified Skilled Worker status, with Indonesians, Vietnamese and Myanmar nationals accounting for about 70 per cent. Although Indians currently number around 300, the figure represents a 73 per cent year-on-year increase.
With a population of 1.4 billion and a workforce increasingly open to overseas employment, India presents significant potential. However, experts caution that Japan must improve working conditions and promote caregiving as a stable career path to attract and retain foreign talent.