Filipino Professionals Still in High Demand in Japan, Says Japanese Official

Filipino talents and skills remain in high demand in Japan, especially those in the medical field, Bank of Japan Governor Haruhiko Kuroda has said.

President Benigno S. Aquino III, in Japan for a four-day state visit, met with Kuroda at the Imperial Hotel on Wednesday.

According to Kuroda, doctors, nurses and caregivers are still in high demand for Japan’s aging population and Filipino professionals in this field could tap this opportunity.

He also lauded the impressive growth of the Philippine economy under the Aquino administration, and encouraged the government to accelerate infrastructure development in the country.

The central bank chief also observed that the Philippines’ infrastructure pipeline is robust and augmented by public-private partnership (PPP) projects.

Meanwhile, President Aquino welcomed Japan’s ongoing revitalization, recognizing that its economic successes are tied to that of the Philippines.

In his speech during the Joint Session of the National Diet of Japan, President Aquino said Japan is the only country that shares a bilateral free trade agreement with the Philippines.

He noted that Japan is the Philippines’ largest trading partner in 2014, with total trade amounting to US$19.1 billion.

The Philippines, he added, is currently the fastest growing market for Japanese tourism among the member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), while Japan now ranks as the country’s third largest market for tourists.

“In light of the engagement between our economies, I am also encouraged by this honorable Diet according attention to legislation that would more effectively synergize Japan’s labor needs with my countrymen’s capabilities,” he said.

Philippine-Japanese cooperation is mutually beneficial, the President said, citing that some 70 percent of Japanese-owned and -controlled ships are manned by Filipino crewmen.

President Aquino has been holding a series of meetings with Japanese business executives since he arrived here on Tuesday. (PCOO)