Ms. Yukako Nagamura, researcher at JICA’s Ogata Research Institute, served as moderator.
On February 21, 2022, JICA Sadako Ogata Research Institute for Peace and Development (JICA Ogata Research Institute) co-hosted an online course on “Migration History and Multicultural Understanding: Understanding ‘Others’ from History” with JICA Yokohama Museum of Overseas Migration. The lecture was part of the JICA Ogata Research Institute’s research project, “Research on Migration and Networks of Nikkei between Japan and Latin America. In this fourth of a series of six lectures, moderated by JICA Ogata Research Institute researcher Yukako Nagamura, Kazumi Murakumo, Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Tsukuba/JSPS Research Fellow (DC), gave a lecture on “Stories of EPA Indonesian Nurses Visiting Japan”.
Ms. Murakumo focused on Indonesian nurses and nurse candidates who came to Japan under the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) that Japan and Indonesia signed in 2008, explaining the current situation and challenges. Of the 714 who came to Japan under the EPA, 158 had passed the national certification exam by January 2022, but only 24 are still working in Japanese hospitals. The number of applicants is decreasing and the pass rate of the national exam is low. Ms. Murakumo, who has worked at the Consulate-General of Japan in Denpasar, Indonesia, has seen with her own eyes the sites where EPA nurse candidates were sent, and has conducted interviews in Japan and Indonesia to find out what happened to them. More than 10 years have passed since the start of accepting EPA nurses, and the role of hospitals has changed dramatically due to the Corona Disaster. and raised the question, “How can we resolve the issues that have emerged from the acceptance of EPA nurses?
Kazumi Murakumo lectured on the current status and issues of EPA Indonesian nurses
Using two EPA nurses working in Japanese hospitals as examples, Ms. Murakumo weaves together their specific life stories, including how they came to Japan, how they work in Japan, and their career development and life plans. One of them, Ms. A, says, “I was told that I could work as a nurse right away, so I was surprised to learn after coming to Japan that I had to study Japanese and take the national exam. Ms. A returned to Indonesia and worked as an interpreter for a Japanese company before coming back to Japan to work at a Japanese hospital. In addition, Ms. B obtained her associate nurse license and moved to a hospital where many senior EPA nurses were working, and having successfully passed the national nursing exam, she said, “I would like to continue to build my career in Japan. I want my family to receive education in Japan as well,” she said of her dream.
Murakumo cited various issues that emerged from their stories. One is the language barrier: the EPA nurse induction program includes Japanese language training, but the language used in the training and national examinations is, of course, standard Japanese. However, when working at a hospital in a rural area of Japan, it is not possible to work if one does not understand the local dialect, which complicates the process of learning “working Japanese,” which is different from the standard language. There is also a big difference in the support system and treatment at the receiving hospital. Furthermore, if you fail to pass the national exam or return to Indonesia without working in Japan after passing the exam, your stay in Japan will be considered as a blank period. Many people who work as nurses also have to rebuild their careers from scratch, which is why many of them take up different positions.
Mr. Murakumo introduced one hospital’s approach as a solution to these issues. For example, Indonesian nurses must always work with a Japanese nurse as a buddy, and a system is in place to provide detailed follow-up for Japanese that the staff does not understand when communicating with each other or with patients. In other words, the hospital should also provide an environment in which the staff can study in the afternoons. In other words, hospitals should also work to develop human resources as an important asset and provide patient-oriented medical care, which could be a “working model” for EPA nurses. We would also like to encourage the Japanese government to issue a certificate of employment to the relevant ministries and agencies in order for the EPA nurses to develop their careers after returning to Indonesia.
During the Q&A session, a wide range of questions were raised, including the system of the receiving hospital, reasons why EPA nurses returned to their home countries, the Indonesian government’s evaluation of the EPA, and cooperation among related Japanese ministries and agencies. The lecture made us feel that the issues surrounding EPA nurses, who are responsible for the essential fields of medical and nursing care, are not a matter of concern for each and every one of us living in Japan.
© Source JICA
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