S. Korea, Japan have world's fastest Internet links

February 02, 2010: TOKYO—East Asian countries led by South Korea, Hong Kong and Japan are the best wired in the world with the highest number of fast broadband connections to the Internet, a recent report has found.

South Korea boasts the world's highest average connection speed at 14.6 Megabytes per second (Mbps) and also has six of Asia's ten cities with the fastest link-ups, all with average speeds above 15 Mbps.

Japan had the second highest average connection speed of 7.9 Mbps, followed by the Chinese territory of Hong Kong with 7.6 Mbps, said the report by US-based network provider Akamai Technologies.

The other countries in the top ten are Romania, followed by Sweden, Ireland, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Denmark and the Czech Republic, with the United States at 18th place, with an average speed of 3.9 Mbps.

The survey classifies "broadband" connections as those of 2 Mbps or more, and "high broadband" as 5 Mbps or over, while link-ups at 20 Mbps and better were categorized as "extremely high speed connectivity."

In South Korea, 74 percent of connections were "high broadband," the world's top rate, while the figure was 60 percent in Japan, followed by Hong Kong with 46 percent, said the report.

The United States came twelfth, with just 24 percent of its connections at 5 Mbps or more. Worldwide, the high broadband percentage was 19 percent.

Growing demand for online high-definition video content is driving demand for faster connections, said Akamai's 'State of the Internet' report for the third quarter of 2009.

"As the quantity of HD-quality media increases over time and the consumption of that media increases, end users are likely to require ever-increasing amounts of bandwidth," the report said. - Agence France-Presse/INQUIRER.net

High court OKs Japanese-Filipinos registering as citizens

The Japan Times: Monday, July 13, 2009
Kyodo News

The Tokyo High Court has granted approval for two Japanese-Filipino siblings born to a Japanese man and Filipino woman before World War II to register as Japanese citizens, accepting their claim that their parents were married.

The 80-year-old man and his 78-year-old sister had requested that they be registered in Japan, submitting an ex post facto certificate obtained in 2005 in the Philippines which recognized that their parents got married in 1920. Their parents did not have an official marriage certificate.

The high court made the decision Friday.

Presiding Judge Keiichi Hirabayashi, after going through a series of documents including the certificate from the Philippines, ruled that the father, who was from Nagasaki Prefecture, and the mother were legally married.

It is the first time a Japanese high court has confirmed the validity of a marriage certificate issued after the fact and given approval for citizenship, according to the Philippine Nikkei-jin Legal Support Center, a Tokyo-based nonprofit organization.

The Tokyo Family Court had dismissed the request by the brother and sister to register as Japanese citizens on the grounds that their parents' marriage could not be confirmed by a document issued afterward, and the two had appealed to the high court.

International migration and global union: Filipino nurses and care workers

http://world-psi.org

Public Services International Japan Council (PSI-JC) and Union Network International Japan Council (UNI-JC) organised a joint workshop on 25th June in Tokyo, Japan.

In this workshop, both global unions and its affiliates discussed and examined the current situation of international migration of Filipino nurses and care workers in Japan who are working under the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA). Japan is badly in need of nurses, assistant nurses and care workers to work in health facilities. Bad working conditions and low wages have resulted in the fact that there are insufficent health workers from the country to work in the heath facilities. In order to look at these challenges and find solutions, Japan had allowed foreign nurses and care workers to work in their health care system. Indonesia and Philippines have signed agreement with Japan to allowing their qualified nurses and care workers to work in Japan. However, they must study Japanese and pass the national licensure examinations to meet the qualification standards of professionals in the Japan Health Care System.

The participants had interesting discussions regarding the foreign health workers who enter the labour market in Japan. They felt that the global financial crisis and its impact on jobs should encourage the country to employ its own nationals instead of depending on foreign workers. Crucial factors to attract Japanese workers in the health sector include better working conditions, wages and other terms of employment. However, the unions realised that the shortage of nurses and care workers is a serious issue not only in Japan but also in sending countries. They also discussed the difficulty that many foreign workers have to adapt to the Japanese culture and language.

Participants felt that the agreements had neglected the unions during the consultation and preparation processes, with the result that the agreements do not offer a realistic view of the working conditions that migrant workers should expect to find. Further serious issues are the phenomenon of brain drain and damage to the quality of health care quality in the sending countries. However, when nurses and care workers are considering to work overseas, it was highly recommended that unions must take an active part in the ethical recruitment of migrant workers to avoid employment mismatches and exploitation. The Japanese unions will support the foreign workers to ensure that they will be respected and guaranteed of their basic rights like their Japanese colleagues. Norman Grecia from the Alliance Filipino Workers (AFW) said that “AFW, which is a federation of health workers, may be a conduit from the Philippines and help facilitate the conduct of pre-employment and pre-departure orientations.”

Katsuhiko Sato, PSI AP Regional Secretary, in his response to the JPEPA recommended to forge a Japan-Philippines Union Partnership Agreement (JPUPA). As countries enter into bilateral agreements, unions must bind together and act collectively. Jose Umali Jr, General Secretary of the UNI – Philippines Council (UNI-PLC) proposed a cross-border unions cooperation from sending to receiving countries and setting up of a Help Desk similar to what UNI has set-up in Malaysia to assist migrant workers.

For more information please contact PSI AP Regional Secretary: katsuhiko.sato@world-psi.org.

How Filipino nurses can work in Japan

INQUIRER.net
First Posted 16:07:00 06/04/2009

MANILA, Philippines—The details of how Filipino nurses and caregivers who graduated from Philippine schools can work in Japan will be the subject of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that the Philippines and Japan are scheduled to sign tomorrow, June 5.

In a statement, the Japanese embassy here said the MOU is on school courses under the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA) on the Movement of Natural Persons.

The MOU clarifies the provisions and processes of deployment and acceptance of Filipino candidates for nurses and caregivers. The main processes are: publicity and the recruitment of Filipino candidates and institutions; matching of Filipino candidates with corresponding institutions; finalization of employment contracts; and the entry of Filipino candidates into Japan.

The MOU focuses on a two- to four-year school course for caregiver candidates. All candidates will enroll in a caregiver school in Japan and will be qualified as certified care workers upon completion of the course.

After the signing, both the Japan International Corporation of Welfare Services (Jicwels) and the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) will start preparations for sending and receiving Filipino candidates. JPEPA itself has been effective since December 11, 2008.

Takashi Tsunoda, managing director of Jicwels, a public organization related to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, and Chairman Emmanuel Angeles of the CHEd are the signatories for the MOU.

Ambassador Makoto Katsura of Japan will witness the signing ceremony at the HEDC Building in the University of the Philippines-Diliman.

Jobs await Filipinos in Guam, Japan

Philippine Daily Inquirer
Posted date: July 02, 2009

MANILA, Philippines—Thousands of Filipino workers could be hired in the construction of new military bases on the US territory of Guam, the island’s governor said during a visit to the Philippines.
Jobs also beckon in Japan, which is looking not only for Filipino health workers but also engineers, information technology
experts and other professionals, according to an official of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica).

Guam will be hiring between 10,000 and 15,000 workers to support the US military buildup, including the relocation of 8,000 Marines and their families from Okinawa over the next few years, Gov. Felix Camacho told reporters in Manila on Tuesday.

No to Chinese workers

He said he expected skilled Filipino workers to fill job demands that could not be met by local labor alone.

“It is not exclusive but the likelihood is that most will be from the Philippines,” Camacho said. Chinese workers will not be hired because of security concerns related to work on military bases, Camacho said.

Several years ago, Filipinos were also tapped to build facilities in Guantanamo in Cuba where suspected al-Qaida members linked to 9-11 were detained.

Minimum wage

The US House armed services committee last week passed a bill saying foreign workers won’t be allowed to do more than 30 percent of the work on the Guam projects.

The 2010 National Defense Authorization Act would require that the minimum wage for all Guam construction projects be at the prevailing wage level for similar work in Hawaii, said US Rep. Neil Abercrombie from Hawaii.

The buildup in Guam will cost at least $15 billion. Japan is covering $6 billion of the bill.

Tip of iceberg

Filipino engineers, information technology experts and other professionals are welcome to work in Japan especially since the Japan Economic Partnership Agreement (Jpepa) has already taken effect, said Togo Hiroshi, principal Jica senior representative to the Philippines.

“[Jobs for] caregivers and nurses are just the tip of the iceberg,” Togo said yesterday.

He said the same message was reiterated to President Macapagal-Arroyo during her most recent state visit to Japan.

First batch

Some 270 Filipinos were deployed to Japan in May, comprising the first batch of nurses and caregivers to be allowed to work in the land of the rising sun following the ratification of Jpepa.

Under Jpepa that the Senate ratified in October last year, Japan and the Philippines agreed to improve business ties, such as easier access to each other’s markets. The agreement also allows more Filipinos to work in Japan.

Aging population

Togo said Japan’s aging population made it necessary for the Japanese economy to allow the entry of foreign workers to fill in current and future job vacancies.

Since many Filipinos seek employment and better opportunities offshore, Jpepa is a win-win solution for both countries, he said.

More than 200,000 Filipinos are based in Japan, according to government estimates.

In the first quarter of the year, they remitted $185 million to the Philippines, accounting for 4.6 percent of the total remittances from overseas Filipinos during the period.

Arroyo administration officials said the availability of more jobs in Japan for Filipinos was a welcome development for the Philippines, whose economy is partly dependent on remittances to spur household consumption.

Japanese language

For Filipinos to more easily find jobs in Japan, they must study the Japanese language, said Matsuda Norio, Jica representative to the Philippines.

While most Filipino workers know how to speak English, some Japanese firms prefer applicants who can speak Japanese, he said.

“Many Filipino workers think that learning English is enough. They don’t realize that learning Japanese is important as well,” he also told the Inquirer.

Matsuda said it would benefit Filipinos seeking to work in Japan to undergo enhanced training, as most of Japanese firms’ labor requirements are stricter than average.

Robust remittance

The further opening of the Japanese labor market to Filipinos was one reason the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) cited for projecting that remittances would remain robust this year.

Contrary to forecasts by some economists that remittances would shrink, the BSP said the worst would be a flat growth. The country recorded a total of $16.4 billion in remittances last year.

The BSP said robust remittances, which fuel household consumption, would help prevent the Philippine economy from slipping into recession.

JPEPA sends nurses, caregivers to Japan

By Tessa Jamandre
Philstar.com
Updated May 17, 2009

MANILA, Philippines – With tears in their eyes, Vilma Balatbat, 39, and her husband tightly embraced each other, knowing it would be some time before they would be together again.

Last Saturday, Balatbat and 269 other Filipino nurses and caregivers, most of them mothers, left for Japan, making up the first batch of Filipino workers deployed to the world’s second largest economy under the controversial Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA).

“I’m both sad and happy,” said Balatbat, a mother of two, who will be working overseas for the first time. “I’ll certainly miss my loved ones, but this is also a new chapter for me. I’ve been waiting so long to work abroad.”

Balatbat, a registered nurse in the Philippines, will train as caregiver in a healthcare institution in Nagoya for six months while taking the Japanese language course, which is a requirement for employment. The JPEPA program will entitle Balatbat to initially receive an “allowance” of P17,000 a month.

By February next year, she ought to pass the national board exams in Japan and can then be employed as caregiver and given a special visa of four years. Only then will she receive a regular wage of P75,000 a month.

The 92 nurses and 178 caregivers, including Balatbat, boarded two Japan Airlines flights that departed Manila. Hired by 134 Japanese institutions and facilities through the Japan International Corporation of Welfare Services (JICWELS), these women will study Japanese in five designated language institutions in Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya and Hiroshima while undergoing practical training at the same time.

Ten more are scheduled to leave on May 31. They are, however, exempted from undergoing training, having passed the pre-qualifying exams for proficiency of the Japanese language.

Signed in 2006 but ratified by the Senate only on Oct. 9, JPEPA is essentially an “economic” agreement that seeks to promote investments and trade of goods and services between Japan and the Philippines. But the agreement will also facilitate the entry of at least 400 Filipino nurses and 600 caregivers for Japan’s aging society.

Japan had long been the destination of Filipino entertainers, popularly known as “japayukis,” until the Japanese government passed a law in 2004 that imposed stricter immigration policies to address human trafficking.

Under the new legislation, Filipino entertainers entering Japan should have at least two years of professional training at an educational institution or experience in a country other than Japan. Job recruiters said the law disqualified up to 90 percent of Filipino entertainers that were deployed in Japan.

Last Jan. 12, the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) and its Japanese counterpart, JICWELS, signed a memorandum of understanding paving the way for the deployment of Filipino nurses so they could make it to the national licensure examination for nurses scheduled in February 2010. The exam, administered in Japanese language, is held every year.

Filipino caregivers, meanwhile, need at least three years of work experience before they can take the national certification examination. Their contracts allow them to work in Japan for three years. If they pass the exam, they can continue to work in Japan. If they don’t, they have to return to the Philippines immediately.

Critics of JPEPA have said the arrangement, under which Filipino nurses and caregivers are treated as “candidate nurses” and “candidate caregivers” and consequently paid lower wages until they pass the national exam in Japanese language, legitimizes exploitation of Filipino workers.

But the allegations of exploitation hardly bother the nurses and caregivers who left for Japan on Saturday.

Beth Apellanes, 38, left her three children in Bohol for a job that will have her caring for elderly Japanese in Nagoya. She said she considers the JPEPA requirement for her to undergo six months of language and practical training as an opportunity to learn another language and prepare her for certification.

What worries her more is the uncertainty of living a new place. “I hope the Japanese are good people, and it won’t be difficult to deal with them,” Apellanes said.

During their pre-departure orientation, the Philippine government expressed optimism that the first batch of caregivers and nurses to Japan will convince Japanese authorities to open more jobs for Filipino health workers in Japan.

“You are the face of Philippine healthcare professionals,” Hans Cacdac, POEA’s deputy administrator said. “Let us show the world, let us show the very good people of Japan, that we are ready to provide necessary human and health care because that is what is what we are good at. I would think quite frankly that we are ranked if not the best, as among the best in the world to provide human and health care.”

While these health workers “do our country proud” by caring for sick or elderly Japanese, they join the growing ranks of overseas Filipino workers who have entrusted their families, including their spouses, young children and aging parents, to the care of others.

At the airport, children wailed as they bade their mothers goodbye. Elderly parents helped their sons and daughters wheel the pushcarts to the departure area. Airport guards stepped in to break up the endless hugging and kissing and to shoo off non-passengers from restricted areas.

One of the non-passengers was Balatbat’s husband. He moved to the far end of the departure area’s driveway to catch a good view of the Japan Airlines plane bearing his wife as it taxied the runway. As if on cue, tears rolled down his cheeks when the aircraft took off.

VERA Files is the work of veteran journalists taking a deeper look at current issues.

Japan needs to ease up on immigration laws

By Tokumasa Yamashita
UPI's Asia Online
Column: The Real Economy
Published: April 20, 2009

Tokyo, Japan — Japanese media last week focused a great deal of attention on Noriko Calderon, a 13-year-old Filipino girl born and raised in Japan, whose parents were being deported to the Philippines after authorities arrested them for their illegal entry into Japan. The fact that Japan is victimizing innocent taxpayers who have done nothing wrong other than their initial illegal entry brings into question the efficacy of Japan’s notoriously rigid immigration laws from both economic and human rights perspectives.

According to the press, Arlan Calderon, Noriko’s father, had been working for a construction company after he and his wife entered Japan using fake passports in the early 1990s. Noriko grew up attending regular Japanese school and never learned her parents’ native language. Japan is the only country she has ever known.

Noriko’s parents had been fighting Japan’s immigration laws for three years, arguing their case all the way to the nation’s High Court. They emphasized the fact that Arlan has a stable job and that Noriko only speaks Japanese. However, the family lost their case in the High Court, and Noriko’s parents were ordered to be deported back to the Philippines. As for Noriko, authorities allowed her to stay in Japan under a visa that needs to be renewed every year.

Activists claim that Japan’s harsh immigration laws violate human rights, accusing the nation of failing to abide by the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child. This convention, which Japan signed and ratified in 1994, is an international treaty that requires states to ensure that all children benefit from special protection measures and assistance; have access to services such as education and healthcare; can develop their personalities, abilities and talents to the fullest potential; grow up in an environment of happiness, love and understanding; and are informed about their rights.

Unlike the United States, Japan does not offer citizenship to those who are merely born in the country – at least one of the parents has to be a Japanese citizen in order for the child to claim Japanese citizenship. In the case of Noriko, many human rights activists argue that she should have been awarded Japanese citizenship rather than a visa that requires an annual reassessment.

The rigidness of Japan’s immigration laws does not make sense from an economic standpoint either. Japan’s fertility rate was 1.34 in 2007, one of the lowest in the world. With the country’s over-65 population at roughly 26 million, or about 20 percent of the total population, Japan’s aging society is known to be a growing problem. If the government is unable to get Japanese people to produce more children, it needs to rely on other sources – that is, immigrants.

It is estimated that at least 500 families are in a similar situation as Noriko’s family, and there are a lot more outside of Japan who have both the desire and potential to become dutiful taxpayers in Japan. Japan therefore needs to ease up on its immigration laws, allowing more foreigners to immigrate in order to counter the economic problems associated with its aging society.

--

(Tokumasa Yamashita is an investment analyst at a U.S.-based real estate private equity firm in Tokyo. He is an active member of the Urban Land Institute, serving as vice-chair of communications for the institute’s Young Leaders Group steering committee. Mr. Yamashita received his undergraduate degree in electrical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. ©Copyright Tokumasa Yamashita.)

The New Japayuki

By Carlo Osi
INQUIRER.net
Posted date: November 27, 2007

I recently came across an Inquirer online article about two Filipinas who suffered terrible fates in Singapore. Lured by the prospect, if not outright promise of increased earning capacity, these two decent ladies traveled to Singapore only to be ensnared in the dragnet of prostitution. Their fate was unfathomable.

True, there are hundreds of other Filipinos in Singapore who are professionals tapped for their technical skills or analytical know-how. Other than the US and Hong Kong, Filipino lawyers seeking work abroad certainly see that small island as another important center of opportunity. But as in many other city centers in the world, some of our countrymen are lured into work they did not sign up for – despicable sex-related jobs they would not have considered at all had they known beforehand.

This is not a new phenomenon. It’s been said that prostitution is the oldest profession after all. But being forced into it by contractual trickery or extreme poverty is regrettable and deeply worrisome. Have we not learned to suppress lawless, possibly fly-by-night recruitment agencies which cajole our young women for supposedly honest-to-goodness job placements, only to find themselves trapped, helpless and desperate? The short answer to this is, yes we have learned, but also yes, this type of illicit organization still abounds.

To some extent, this may be because some Filipinos are too innocent, too gullible or plainly too ignorant of the accompanying dangers. To be sure, not all jobs abroad carry inherent dangers. We would not have 10% or so of our population working literally everywhere in the world if the only jobs open to our race were fraught with potential harm. But there are certain jobs – and I say this with no intent to castigate – particularly those related to bar or club entertainment, that arguably have high potential for danger.

The two Filipinas managed to escape their wretched conditions in Singapore, buy there are most likely countless others still trapped in there; they need to be found and properly assisted. To be fair, their plight can be said to be the exception; it is not the general rule that Filipinas who work in Singapore end up forcibly working in the sleaziest of professions. There simply has to be more vigilance to curb this rising trend – or so the article claimed.

Beyond Singapore, Japan has been the center of similar controversies for decades. In the 1980’s, the term “Japayuki” was coined to describe Filipinas bound for Japan under the pretext of housekeeping or honest entertainment work, only to be compelled to work as prostitutes in the thriving sex industry. They were hospitality girls. Derogatory as it was, many Filipinas bound for work in Japan were tagged Japayukis regardless of their kind of work.

It’s hard to cite precise statistics, but these Japayukis were able to remit sizeable amounts to support their families back home. Unless they were poorly paid or not paid at all, some were estimated to earn just a little less than $3,000 a month, more than an office lady, entry-level manager or second year law associate would earn in the Philippines. Serving their own ends, they were able to contribute to the national economy. They joined the country’s “Bagong Bayani,” new heroes who toil in foreign lands to send much needed dollars home.

The disparaging term Japayuki may have been born from the Japanese word “Karayuki,” a Japanese lady who went abroad to work (but were most likely sold) as prostitutes in nearby countries, notably Singapore, from 1870 to 1940. Japayuki was most likely coined to mean a reverse migration of Filipinas trooping to Japan to do exactly what the Karayuki did pre-war.

In practice, Japayuki refers to Filipinas who worked, or are working, as cultural dancers, bar hostesses or entertainers in Japan – with a sternly negative connotation. It has also become Filipino slang often used to justify how one amassed a small fortune in a relatively short time, presumably while “working” or “entertaining” in Japan. For the few men who become entangled in this profession, the term specifically developed for them was “Hosto,” but it did not adapted as widely as the term Japayuki.

Like the two Filipinas in Singapore, the confluence of shady recruiters, malevolent deception, physical detention, passport confiscation and round-the-clock monitoring characterized the plight of many Japayukis. Haven’t we all heard a story of some innocent young lady tricked to work in Japan with the lure of comfortable salaries but forced into white slavery upon arrival?

While in Japan, I happened to come across one of our own countrymen unabashedly telling other foreigners that these Filipino ladies volunteered to go into prostitution; and that there is absolutely no bar or entertainment joint in that country which promotes illegal activities because they allegedly have complete government papers.

What a mockery! Either he was too blind or too dumb (or both) to believe that the Filipinas were duped into, and did not contract for such slavery. It’s like some Japanese legislators saying that comfort women in WWII were recruited by a private third party, voluntarily signed up for the job and received handsome salaries. Still in denial, one may conclude.

But there is an emerging positive connotation to the term Japayuki. It’s time to reform its undesirable vibe to generally mean Filipinos Japan-bound or already residents, without any sexual or negative implication. More importantly, a new type of Japayuki should be denominated: someone going to or already in Japan because of talents, skills, knowledge, practice or expertise, not for any illegal activity.

Part of this necessary evolution stems from the fact that so many Filipino scholars are being sent to Japan to study education, law, dentistry, engineering, agriculture and a host of other courses. Mostly Mombusho (Japanese government) scholars, these students at the undergraduate, graduate (masteral) and post-grad levels do not pay any tuition, are given generous stipends, assigned dorm units and sent to top universities. Every year, there are at least 150 to 250 students who leave for Japan as Mombusho scholars and spread to as far north as Hokkaido University to as far south as schools in Okinawa.

Academic stay can range from 6 months to 5 or more years, especially for those enrolled in Masters and/or PhD programs. Ateneo undergrads usually attend the Japan in Today’s World (JTW) program for 6 months, while UP Lawyers perform exceptionally well in the YLP-Mombusho one-year LL.M. program. Recruits for the teacher-training program come from all Philippine regions. Thus, Filipino students can be found literally everywhere in Japan nowadays.

Besides these students, other newer Japayuki legally reside and work in Japan as religious workers, software engineers, hotel staff, restaurant operators and nurses, to name a few. In Tokyo, there are even a handful of Filipino lawyers working in the top-tier firms while two attorneys are consulting for an Osaka law firm. Thus there is a burgeoning trend for newer and better opportunities for Filipinos wanting to work or study in Japan.

There must therefore be a gradual shift from the denigrating, generically Japayuki to student-Japayuki, religious worker-Japayuki and so forth. To perpetuate a useless stigma contributes absolutely nothing to national growth and maturity.

The life of a student-Japayuki is admittedly a blissful one. Where in the world will one find a country willing to sponsor thousands upon thousands of scholars from all over the world for years-long scholarships? No tuition at all, no significant school fees to pay, monthly receipt of stipends reaching thousands of dollars and regulated capacity to work part-time. Not even the
US can match this kind of generosity.

Even if a university in Europe could match this, its scholarships are circumscribed only to a specific university, not to most of the other learning institutions in that country. Japan is radically and astutely different in that Mombusho scholarships are open to various nationalities spread out in public and private universities around the country. The scholarship program is a national government program, not merely university-based.

Student-Japayukis are sometimes awarded additional travel allowance and internship opportunities, leading to a fulfilled experience at the end of the program. Hence, student-Japayukis are not known to illegally extend their stay in Japan, work with expired work permits, marry Japanese to forestall deportation or become involved in unlawful matters.

Student-Japayukis are well liked by the faculty because of the natural genius and exuberance of Filipinos. With their politeness and honesty, they mirror basic Japanese attitudes. They are also markedly singled out as achievers and almost always outperform and outclass other nationalities, even those from North America. This may not be due only to sheer talent, but also the need to correct the once precarious connotation of a Filipina in Japan as most likely a hospitality girl.

Fueled by desire to prove one’s self and in part due to national pride, student-Japayukis and generic worker-Japayukis typically prove to be the cream of the crop. Since the country normally sends the best and the brightest, it is not surprising that Japan keeps on seeking more and more Filipino student-Japayukis and worker-Japayukis.

I happen to be one of the recent student-Japayukis who finished a Master of Laws (LL.M.) from a renowned university in west Japan. Taught entirely in English, with Japanese language as an optional course, the one-year LL.M. program was both insightful and useful. It allowed me to interact and study with notable law scholars from many parts of the world under highly competent Japanese and European professors.

It also provided me with a platform, particularly among my Japanese friends and lawyer-acquaintances, to demonstrate that Filipinos are truly worth investing scholarship money in. I likewise experienced being a worker-Japayuki (an OCW in Japan) on a research job and legal consulting work after I graduated.

The imperfect relationship between our two countries notwithstanding, it must be recognized that Japan does a lot of good when it sends Filipinos to Japanese universities to amass innumerable knowledge for use back home. Through constant interaction with fellow student- and worker-Japayukis, it dawned on me that the loathsome term ‘Japayuki’ must be reinterpreted and redefined. The Philippines must be more mature in realizing that nothing can be had in name-calling and stigmatization. There is a new Japayuki and no one can denigrate her or him.

The author was a Young Leaders Program/Mombusho scholar at the Kyushu University Faculty of Law in Fukuoka, Japan where he took his Master of Laws in 2005-2006. Before graduation, he was recruited as research associate and has also performed legal consulting work with Japanese lawyers. He is now an LL.M-candidate of the University of Pennsylvania Law School and undergoing a cross Wharton School -disciplinary program. He is an on-leave Associate in one of the country’s biggest law firms in Makati City.

Repackaging the japayuki

By Rissa B. Singson
Inquirer News Service

IN HER high-heeled strappy sandals and smart business suit, Christie Gatchalian-Buan strides confidently into the compound of Gatchalian Promotions. The place is teeming with young, talented women who hope to make it out of the country soon as overseas performing artists (OPAs). On Fridays, when aspiring OPAs flock to her office to be discovered, Christie walks past them, and may stop in front of one applicant and send her straight in for an interview. After being in the talent promotion business for almost 18 years, she can spot a potential talent in a crowd, even if the applicant is 20 pounds overweight.

Christie climbs the stairs to her office, walking past rehearsal halls where Japan-bound dancers are perfecting their routines. Near the stairs is a small room where the mirrors are outlined with incandescent bulbs. A makeup artist is busy beautifying yet another would-be artist while the other girls touch up their own faces. A Japanese promoter is arriving to conduct an audition, and the girls are getting ready.

On a wall across the makeup room, professional-looking photos show off some of Gatchalian Promotions' artists decked in their colorful and extravagant costumes. Christie shot these pictures, fruit of the photography lessons she took for purposes like these. Her resumé boasts of other courses she has attended to better equip her for the job as vice president for operations and director of the training center of her family-owned agency. Aside from the leadership and training seminars she has completed, she also took a course in Professional Makeup Artistry at the JLS Makeup Studio in Hollywood, California, and Fashion Designing.

Second generation

Being a second-generation owner of a talent promotion agency, Christie inherited her artistic talents from her mom and her management prowess from her dad. Their multi-awarded company has been one of the pioneers in the industry. Her mom, Teresita Apolinario, was the first recording artist of Villar records, the Philippine's first recording company. She was the vocalist of a band called Ronnie Villar and the Firedons, whose members were the children of the Villars. But before they could wax their first single, Teresita, then 20, married Roger Gatchalian.

But the call of show business didn't wane even after Teresita had kids. When her eldest daughter Christie was seven, Teresita decided to pursue singing as her calling, and went to Japan for a four-month stint with a band. Christie recalls seeing photos of her mom in a fur coat, sitting in a limousine. "That's how highly Filipino artists were regarded then," Christie comments with a sigh and a dream to restore the OPAs to that level once again.

It was there that a Japanese promoter approached her mom, asking if she knew of other bands from the Philippines who could be booked for Japan.

It was the early '70s, and sending entertainers to Japan was as simple as getting a visa. Roger, who was then running the family-owned restaurant, Gatchalian Lechon, handled the paper work. What started as a response to one request soon snowballed into a full-fledged business.

Initially, they would just send talents to the same club where Teresita performed because she could vouch for its safety and wholesome ambience. "The Japanese promoter made good because the bands we sent were really good. Then the other hotels started looking. 'We want more bands!'" Christie narrates.

In their first year, they had 15 principals, mostly from Tokyo, Hakodate and Shizuoka. Their clientele and facilities grew through the years and, in 1985 and 1986, their agency was granted the "Top Performer Award" for having deployed some 3,000 artists in a year. In 1995, they added a training center to their agency to accommodate the growing number of prospective artists they attracted.

Today, their agency celebrates 26 years in the talent promotion industry, antedating even the establishment of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration. They also boast of the capacity and capability to graduate a thousand true-blue artists yearly.

Recording career

Christie was in first year college when she herself dabbled in show business. Her mom bumped into her old friends, the Villars, who were then in the process of setting up a new company and reviving their recording business. When they found out that Teresita had a daughter who could sing, they asked her to audition. Christie soon signed up with A&W Recording and started with two singles, both songs composed by Rey Valera. "Unfortunately, they didn't become hits because I was in school and could promote them only during the summer," recalls Christie. Then she recorded another one titled "Pira-pirasong Alaala," which became a hit, but could have made it even bigger if her studies didn't get in the way.

But even after completing her degree in Mass Communications, Christie didn't return to show biz. "I prefer being backstage. That's why I got involved with our company. When they decided to put up a production, yun ang feel ko." She wrote scripts, as well as write-ups and press releases for their talents.

Unlike her mom who actually worked in Japan as an overseas performing artist, Christie cannot strictly say she's been in the shoes of their talents. But her short stint in showbiz has given her enough experience to know what these women face in their workplace. "I normally tell my talents, how I wish I had the chance to work abroad because it would be an enriching experience for me. I would have been a more credible trainer if I had been there, done that."

It's almost impossible to listen to Christie speak of the plight of the industry and miss out on the passion she has for overseas performing artists.

"The industry has been here for so long but most of the time, we come to know about the negative side, like when someone dies or is abused. But the good part of it has never been really given attention. And probably that image -- the japayuki stigma -- could be the reason why we're having a hard time dealing with the government," laments Christie. "Sometimes they do the thinking for us, without considering our needs. Like them, we want to put order in the industry because this is our business. We want to emphasize its good side. In this campaign, we have the OPAs in mind."

As president of both the Philippine Entertainment Exporters and Promoters Association, one of three associations that represent the whole industry, and the umbrella group Confederated Associations of Licensed Entertainment Agencies (CALEA), Christie and her peers are fighting for the integrity of the Artist Record Book (ARB). It's the accreditation every entertainer needs for them to be booked for performances abroad.

Corruption

The ARB is given to artists who have successfully finished training and passed the testing conducted by the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA). But as Christie and her other concerned colleagues have discovered, those with enough money can buy themselves an ARB. "The original concept of the ARB is that no one can question your competence if you have it, because it's assumed that you passed through the proper training and process. But the system itself has been tainted with corruption, because you can now buy an ARB for P50,000 if you want to go and work in Japan," she says. They proved this when the associations raised money and set up a sting operation where they sent an unqualified talent to pay her way through the accreditation system. Without having to take any tests, the person secured a genuine ARB.

Christie and the presidents of the two other associations under CALEA have brought up the matter with TESDA but, to this day, they've been given the runaround. "It's so exhausting because, as an industry, we're supposed to be doing projects that are developmental, like scholarships for people who want to do further studies. Instead, we're so preoccupied in talking with the government about the accreditation system," she complains.

What bothers Christie the most is that, ultimately, it's the OPAs who suffer. "Sayang because they don't have much opportunity here," she says. "Culturally, Filipinos are very, very talented. Like in Japan, for you to be able to play the piano you need formal training. But out here, what are you talking about? We just play it by ear," she gushes.

Once she was talking to a friend who was getting bands for Shanghai. She asked him why he chose Filipino entertainers, knowing how thorny it was to hire them. Her friend replied, "Because they're very talented and hardworking." Amen to that, says Christie, and that's what fuels her passion for showcasing the Filipino artist to the rest of the world.

The sad story of Noriko Calderon

Some painful lessons in illegal migration

By Carlo Osi
INQUIRER.net
First Posted 15:52:00 04/15/2009

WASHINGTON D.C., United States—There are many reasons why Filipinos and citizens of other economically struggling countries migrate to the United States, Japan, United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, and Australia, just to name a few. These immigrants, whether legal or illegal, believe that greener pastures await them in those countries.

They may also want to fast-track their careers, permanently visit relatives, join their loved ones, or try some new thing abroad. Immigrants may likewise be too sick of the dirty play of domestic politics and the culturally ingrained corruption in government and in the private sector, or simply too wary of the ills of a confused culture. Whatever the reason, they flock to the embassies for their ticket from poverty, disillusion, and helplessness.

The Calderons

Take the case of the parents of 13-year-old Noriko Calderon. Her surname immediately rings a bell as it’s a common, Spanish-derived Filipino surname. But Noriko is foreign-sounding. Yes, it is a Japanese girl’s name. Noriko was born of Filipino parents, Arlan and Sarah Calderon, who migrated to Japan illegally in the early 1990s.

After over a decade in Japan, perhaps not going back to the Philippines even a single time in those years, Sarah Calderon was arrested by Japanese officials in 2006 for her illegal stay. By that time, Arlan Calderon was gainfully employed, and everyone in the family speaks fluent Japanese. Noriko has presumably never visited the Philippines, never learned Tagalog or any other Philippine dialect, and has so integrated into Japanese ways that she is culturally Japanese and not in any way Filipino—except the fact that both her parents are Filipinos.

Arlan and Sarah Calderon did not want to be deported from Japan without a fight, so they engaged a lawyer who fought for them all the way to the High Court. The court ruled against them, quite expectedly, and gave the young Noriko a choice between going back with her parents to the Philippines or staying in Japan. Born and raised in Japan with probably no idea what the Philippines was about, Noriko chose to stay where she is. She was in her Japanese school uniform, crying and in distraught when her parents were boarding the flight that brought them back to their homeland.

This is a sad tale about the life and struggles of illegal immigration. The Calderons’ lawyer argued that it was not about Japanese immigration laws but what would be in the best interest of the 13-year-old child. True, but anyone who has lived and socially interacted in Japan would immediately think that Japanese authorities would not bend any law or regulation and would, in fact, fiercely implement their statutes. In short, there was almost no way the Calderons would not be deported.

Japan and its uniqueness

Japan is a contrast of wonders. On the bright side, Japan is a wonderful place to be in, any time of the year. The people are peace-loving, attentive, polite, and demure. There is literally a near-zero crime rate in most parts of Japan. Almost no one violates traffic rules, no violence in the streets, almost no protest actions against the government, and everyone is always courteous. There is a pervading cultural discipline that one feels immediately upon walking the streets, going to restaurants, or meeting the people. Japan also has a vibrant economy, many scenic attractions, a distinct and marvelous culture, and an efficient government. It even provides so many scholarships to deserving students from all over the world every year.

But, as in any culture, it also has some darker sides. There is so much rigidity imbedded in its culture that seemingly no one is flexible. There are hierarchies in corporations, universities, homes, and even social places that are unbendable. Japanese individuals who try to disobey these rigidities and hierarchies are often characterized as protruding nails that should be hammered down to teach them a lesson. Everyone follows a strict, straight line and a handed down order. Do otherwise and one will be subjected to extreme penalties, if not social ostracism. Older bureaucrats who were products of a very strict, post war regimen are not expected to adapt to anything.

Immigration to Japan: some painful lessons

This is perhaps the fate suffered by the Calderon family. For the Japanese immigration authorities, it was black and white. For them, beyond the notion of preserving family unity, the Calderon parents broke the law and should suffer the penalties of arrest and eventual deportation. There were no ifs and buts. It matters not to these rigid immigration bosses that the child will be separated from her parents. Perhaps their conscience is cleansed by the choices they gave the girl: your parents (and go back to a country you don’t know) or Japan (and stay in the country where you grew up).

Unfortunately, the choice they gave Noriko was far from fair. It may be correct given the strict wordings and statutory construction of Japanese immigration law. On the issue of humanity, however, it was a horrible set of choices to give a child. It can even be considered callous. It must be remembered that the Japanese environment where Noriko grew up is such a very distinct and different culture that she will feel lost anywhere else in the world. Had she grown up in the United States or in any English-speaking country, then a transition to the Philippines may not be as difficult. But transitioning from a purely Japanese environment to a Philippine culture would be extremely arduous and painful.

For some, her parents are to blame. Certainly, the Japanese authorities are claiming this. But are the parents to blame? The perspective of any economically struggling country will vary, but generally these nations will not blame them. They were simply seeking better opportunities for themselves and their families which is why they immigrated.

The better and larger question is: How come there are so many unresolved problems in struggling nations that force their nationals to seek opportunities abroad that may or will subject them to the risks of discrimination, maltreatment, cruelty, or deportation?

These are but some of the painful lessons to be learned from immigrating illegally to a country that is not known for accepting immigrants with open arms. There are certainly many more tragic stories of Filipinos and other nationals who migrate to Japan, Saudi Arabia, and even the United States. There are thousands of nameless and faceless people languishing in jails and detention centers waiting for a chance to be heard in court.

The recent killing by US Navy Seals of three Somali pirates who captured American ship captain Richard Philips is noteworthy. It has been said that to be able to rid the world of these Somali pirates, there should be a great effort to fix Somalia. In the same way, to be able to rid ourselves of illegal immigration to Japan, the United States and elsewhere, we need to fix the Philippines. And that is one tough task.

The author spent several years in Japan as a scholar and expatriate. He is a US- and Japan-trained lawyer with a Master of Laws degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School and a Certificate of Business from Wharton.

Send comments to carlo.osi@gmail.com or through http://eastofturtleisland.blogspot.com/.

Foreigners laid off in Japanese downturn

Associated Press and Inquirer.net
First Posted 16:03:00 10/23/2008

HAMAMATSU, Japan -- Brazilian Stenio Sameshima came to Japan last year with plans to make a bundle of money at the country's humming auto factories. Instead, he's spending a lot of time in line at employment agencies.

The 28-year-old is one of hundreds, perhaps thousands, of foreigners who are among the first laborers in Japan to lose their jobs as the global financial crisis eats into demand for cars, trucks and motorcycles, government officials say.

The layoffs are also the first evidence that the mushrooming economic crisis in the United States and elsewhere is shaking the Japanese labor market, presaging further trouble if the downturn persists or deepens.

This week Sameshima, trained as a science teacher in Brazil, sat for hours waiting to apply for a new job at a government-run job center in the central city of Hamamatsu -- and he said he'd take anything with a paycheck.

"Because of the crisis, you have to accept whatever there is," Sameshima, a descendant of Japanese who emigrated to Brazil decades ago, said as he perused an announcement of a job making boxed lunches sold in convenience stores.

The government does not track the number of jobless foreigners, but local officials, workers and employment agencies tell of hundreds of workers like Sameshima let go by companies linked to topflight producers -- Toyota, Honda, Yamaha.

The Labor and Health Ministry said the numbers of foreigners showing up at government-run job centers in affected regions have doubled to some 1,500 a month as of August, while Japanese jobseekers have remained constant. And those centers handle only a small fraction of the foreign work force, officials say.

"The ethnic Japanese from abroad have been particularly hit hard," said Tatsuhiro Ishikawa, a ministry official in charge of foreign labor. "They're often the first ones to be fired just because they're foreigners."

At the core of the trend are hard times for the Japanese car industry.

No. 1 producer Toyota Motor Corp. has seen its stock slide amid reports the automaker won't meet its global sales target. Nissan, Japan's third-largest automaker, announced Tuesday it was cutting domestic production.

"The number of cars being produced is decreasing, so there's nothing for the foreigners to make," said Masahiro Morishita, who works FujiArte, an employment agency that hires foreigners in Hamamatsu.

The layoffs are hitting a particularly vulnerable population.

Japan has begun attracting large numbers of foreign workers only in the past 15 years to meet a labor shortage as the country ages. The increase has been rapid, more than doubling from 370,000 foreigners working legally in Japan in 1996 to 755,000 in 2006.

Yet, working conditions are precarious. Foreigners are often hired through temporary employment agencies, so they can be easily fired. They live in company housing, so they lose their apartments when they lose their jobs. There hasn't been a marked increase in homelessness, but anecdotes of foreigners having to move in with friends or relatives abound.

The outsiders also face language difficulties.

"In order to get new jobs, they need to speak Japanese," said Alice Miho Miike at the Hamamatsu Foundation for International Communication and Exchanges. "But even Brazilians who speak, read and write Japanese are losing their jobs now."

Hamamatsu, 200 kilometers (125 miles) southwest of Tokyo, is home to more than 33,500 foreigners. More than half of them -- about 19,000 -- are Brazilians, many with special permission to work here because of their Japanese ancestry.

The waiting area at the government-run Hello Work job center in Hamamatsu was abuzz Tuesday with tales of joblessness and uncertainty.

Sameshima, for example, was dismissed at the end of September after working only six months at an auto-parts manufacturer outside the central city of Nagoya.

"I came to Japan to get a steady, secure job," said Sameshima, who came from the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais in early 2007. "But there was a drop in production at the factory, because Toyota is the principal purchaser."

Then he came to Hamamatsu to work at another plant -- only to again lose his job after only two weeks.

The chief of the foreign worker section at Hello Work Hamamatsu, Akihiko Sugiyama, came up with two job possibilities for Sameshima -- at between 20 percent to 40 percent below the 1,500-yen ($15) hourly wage he was making before.

Some foreign laborers have abandoned Japan amid the troubles, especially those from Brazil, where the currency is plummeting and workers with savings in Japanese yen see an opportunity to cash in.

Sameshima, for instance, plans to go home at the end of next year in hopes of taking a special exam that would allow him to teach science in public high schools.

Others are holding out for better times.

Daniele Tokuti, 24, came from Brazil three years ago with her husband, an ethnic Japanese. She was fired last week along with 40 other foreigners at a Yamaha factory.

But Tokuti, now six months pregnant, said she still had hopes to achieving her dream of building a significant nest egg in Japan.

"Now in Brazil, things aren't bad," she said. "But in Japan, I think if we can get past this crisis, and things will be even better here."

With Due Respect: Japan, the new and the old

By Artemio V. Panganiban
Columnist, Inquirer
Posted date: June 24, 2007

MANILA, Philippines—Last Sunday, I wrote about my visit to Tokyo to thank the Japanese government for the P300-million unconditional grant to help build the Philja Development Center in Tagaytay. Thereafter, my wife Leni and I joined a grand tour of Japan arranged by Globus, one of the largest tour operators in the world. Globus packages may be bought from any travel agency here.

High-tech Japan. To get a “feel” of both modern and traditional Japan, we stayed in mega cities like Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto, as well as in small ones, like Takayama and Kanazawa. We motored through the Japanese alps, passed by quaint villages with thatched-roof houses, marveled at the Himeji Castle and the Katsura Imperial Villa, and were shocked at the atomic bomb devastation in Hiroshima. We rode the Shinkansen. At 280 kilometers per hour, the ride was amazingly quiet and smooth. At that speed, Baguio could be reached from Manila in an hour.

All the hotels we used (Hilton, Nikko and Ana) had high-tech toilets that featured heated seats, temperature–controlled electronic bidets and sprays, as well as hot air blowers to dry one’s bottom without toilet paper. Some had sophisticated gadgets like mini water massage hoses and devices that measure body fat ratios.

Three of the hotels provided “magnetic” pillows that truly induced me to sleep more soundly. But the Osaka Hilton outdid the others by offering a “Pillow Menu” from which guests may choose a: (1) sobagara, Japanese pillow made of buckwheat hull; (2) sobagara combined with down feathers; (3) non-allergy cotton; (4) hinoko, made of cypress chips; (5) white duck feathers; or (6) tempur, flexible polyurethane that conforms to the shape of the sleeper’s head.

Another technological wonder: the vehicles in the major cities have global positioning systems (GPS) with large monitors and voice guides. Thus, no driver would ever get lost in the confusing concrete mazes of Japan. Generally, the Japanese do not give names to their streets or numbers to their houses. Instead, they use a unique “chome” system that is too complicated for my understanding.

Being fond of Japanese cuisine, I savored the best wagyu (Japanese beefsteak) dinner at the Okura hotel, which was hosted by Carlos “Pop” Mañalac, our son-in-law’s brother. As the managing director of Lehman Brothers in Asia (based in Tokyo), he is probably one of the highest paid expats in Japan. On the other hand, our Globus guide treated us in Hiroshima to the okonomiyaki, a reasonably-priced (about P300) delicacy I relished. I now hope that an entrepreneur would introduce it in Makati.

Traditional Japan. Despite being the second largest economy in the world, Japan still retains many vestiges of its past. Perhaps the most important Japanese value is wa which, roughly translated, means “harmony.” Historically bound in tight-knit communities, the Japanese highly prize group cohesion, teamwork and consensus. They have no exact equivalent of the English word “no,” because an extreme negative is anathema to consensus. Neither is there an identical word to “yes.” Hai does not necessarily mean “I agree.” Most of the time, it merely signifies, “I understand.”

Because the Japanese hate to displease, there is almost always a gap between “what is said” and “what is the truth.” In a society where harmony is paramount, people tend to hide their true feelings, lest they offend others or damage the group’s solidarity. It is up to the hearer to understand the real situation and to act accordingly. For example, we came late (a no-no in Japan) for a show. Instead of saying “no” to our request for admission, the hostess told us that the weather was unpredictable and that the next day would probably bring in the sunshine. That was her indirect way of advising us to come back the following day.

Calling cards are extremely important, not so much to identify but to show the rank and career status of the giver. It is only in this manner that new acquaintances are able to converse properly. There is a distinct way of speaking with an inferior, as there is with a superior and with an equal.

Tipping is not common in Japan. In fact, waiters and bellhops are sometimes offended when tipped. Bowing is customary and is sometimes more important than words. It can mean anything from “hello” to “goodbye” to “thank you.” Extremely courteous, natives go out of their way to help fumbling strangers.

Democratic Japan. Steadfastly parliamentary, the Japanese government is headed by a prime minister. Lawmaking is vested in a two-house Diet while judicial power is exercised by an independent Supreme Court. Though group-oriented, the people are nonetheless entrepreneurial and committed to free trade.

The main religions are Shinto, an indigenous faith with naturalist origins, and Buddhism. About 2 percent of the population is Christian. True to their “consensusness,” many Japanese are said to “be born Shinto, marry Christian and die Buddhist.”

When I was still practising law and dabbling in business, I used to frequent Japan. Now, after my retirement, I am pleased to have come back, and note that, despite the lapse of 25 years, it is still a country of contrasts and contradictions; an oasis of oriental charm and Western innovations; a cradle of Eastern religions and an exemplar of liberal democracy; a promoter of human rights and an adherent of free trade. It pioneers e-age technologies but retains its traditional values, thereby exhibiting a distinct Japanese lifestyle.

* * *
Comments are welcome at chiefjusticepanganiban@hotmail.com

Japan needs more immigrants

BUSINESS GROUP SAYS

Reuters and Inquirer.net
First Posted 16:49:00 10/13/2008

TOKYO—Japan's most powerful business lobby will change its long-held policy and call on the nation to accept more immigrants, Mainichi newspaper reported on Monday, as the world's fastest ageing nation faces serious labor shortages.

The Japan Business Federation (Keidanren), whose policy on immigration to date has been to limit foreign laborers to fixed contracts, will announce the change on Tuesday, the Mainichi newspaper said.

Keidanren officials could not immediately be reached for comment as Monday is a national holiday in Japan.

The idea of allowing in more foreigners is seen by some Japanese as a risk to the country's relatively crime-free and homogeneous society, and few Japanese employers offer immigrant workers the same rights as their Japanese colleagues.

Mainichi's report comes as Japan, with its shrinking population, faces serious economic consequences including labor shortages that could weigh on its GDP.

Japan expects more than a quarter of its citizens to be aged over 65 by 2015 and its population is set to shrink by a third in 50 years if current trends continue.

In its recommendations, Keidanren will note the necessity of changing laws to promote immigration as well as call for enhancements in Japanese language education and social security for immigrants, Mainichi said.

Foreigners made up less than two percent of Japan's nearly 128 million population in late 2007, government statistics show.

Earlier this year, a group of ruling party lawmakers called on Japan to allow immigrants to make up 10 percent of the population in 50 years' time.

Japan ends illegitimates legal limbo

Agence France-Presse and Inquirer.net
First Posted 19:36:00 12/05/2008

TOKYO—Japan passed a new law Friday that could pave the way to citizenship for thousands of children born out of wedlock to foreign mothers, ending their legal limbo, officials said.

Illegitimate children born to mothers from abroad could previously only be granted nationality if the father acknowledged paternity before the birth. They will now be able to claim Japanese citizenship if the father acknowledges paternity after the child is born.

But anyone who lies about such a relationship will receive a prison sentence of up to one year or a 200,000 yen ($2,173) fine.

The move came after the Supreme Court earlier this year ruled that denying such children citizenship was unconstitutional.

The ruling, which ended years of court battles, said it was discriminatory to consider parents' marital status. The children were mostly born to Filipina entertainers working in Japan.

The Japanese men -- who were married to other women -- had acknowledged that they were the fathers of the children, who were born in Japan and only speak Japanese.

But the children were not granted nationality because the fathers acknowledged them only after they were born.

According to official statistics, approximately 2,800 children born out of wedlock to foreign mothers live in Japan, which is home to many entertainers from the Philippines and elsewhere. More than 2,000 have Japanese fathers.

Japan has strict controls on immigration and is reluctant to allow an influx of foreign workers even though it has one of the world's lowest birthrates.

RP, Japan discuss easing limits on Filipino entertainers

By Jerome Aning
Inquirer
First Posted 22:01:00 08/30/2007

MANILA, Philippines -- The government is negotiating the easing up of restrictions imposed by Japan on the deployment of overseas performing artists (OPAs), according to the Bureau of Immigration commissioner Marcelino Libanan.

“The Japanese government wanted us to make new procedures for the deployment of Filipino entertainers as to how they will be screened,” Libanan told the Philippine Daily Inquirer in an interview on Thursday.

The commissioner recalled that Japan allowed OPAs to enter only if they had two years of schooling or experience as an entertainment worker.

Libanan proposed the accreditation of applying entertainers by group, rather than individually.

“Japanese employers will come here and present themselves so we would know the details of their deployment. Everybody will police their ranks. There will be no room for irregularities,” he added.

Libanan said the beneficiaries of his proposal would be performing in shows in Japan.

“Group deployment would be easier because when something irregular crops out, it would be easier to blacklist, not just the recruits but also the agents and the employers,” the official said.

Libanan said that in his proposal, an inter-agency group composed of the BI, the Commission on Filipinos Overseas and the Labor Department would screen the applicants by group.

Japan restricted the deployment of OPAs after reports of rampant human trafficking and stories of Filipino entertainers ending up as prostitutes in Japanese nightclubs.

Filipino OPAs deployed to Japan used to number 80,000 a year. In 2006, there were only 10,000 deployed, according to the private recruitment agencies.

RP nurses can now apply for Japan jobs

By Veronica Uy
INQUIRER.net
First Posted 19:04:00 01/12/2009

MANILA, Philippines—Japan can now start recruiting Filipino nurses and caregivers for training and employment under the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement after Monday afternoon's signing of a memorandum of understanding providing for that.

A month after the Framework for the Movement of Natural Persons under JPEPA came into force, the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) and the Japan International Corporation of Welfare Services (JICWELS) agreed to recruit Filipino nurses as candidate-kangoshi and caregivers as candidate-kaigofukushishi to Japan. The framework came into force on December 11, 2008.

POEA Administrator Jennifer Jardin-Manalili signed for the Philippines, while JICWELS managing director Takashi Tsunoda signed for Japan.

Under the MoU, Filipino registered nurses with at least three years experience are qualified to apply for training and employment in Japan, while candidate caregivers should be a graduate of a four-year course and certified by the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA). Graduates of a nursing course may also apply as caregiver.

It also specified that applicants shall undergo an aptitude test and interview by JICWELS to facilitate their matching with employers. After selection, they must pass the required medical examination to conclude the employment contract and to successfully qualify to enter Japan.

"Nominal expenses of application shall be borne by applicants for document submission/authentication, medical examination (P1,500 basic), and visa fee (P1,150). Airfare and onsite training costs are shouldered by the employers or the Government of Japan," a briefer on the MoU said.

Qualified nurses and candidates are invited to apply with the POEA and to register online.

Labor Secretary Marianito Roque, who witnessed the signing, said the MoU details the roles and responsibilities of the two parties and the working conditions for the Filipino nurses and caregivers that would ensure their welfare and protection while training and working in Japan.

He said the hiring program will start with the initial recruitment of 200 Filipino nurses and 300 caregivers that the POEA would endorse to JICWELS, which would in turn match to hospitals and institutions in Japan that it earlier pre-qualified to receive the Filipino candidates.

"The Filipino nurses and caregivers shall be covered by a fully transparent employment contract…They shall receive the same salaries equivalent to what Japanese nurses and caregivers receive, based on similar tasks and qualifications," he said.

POEA's Manalili, on the other hand, said that prior to their actual work in Japan, the selected candidates shall undergo a six-month language and culture training, where they would receive an allowance of not less than 40,000 yen (or about P21,000) a month.

"The language training shall help them prepare to eventually take the Japanese licensure examination. The examinations can be taken not more than three chances within three years in the case of candidate-nurses, and once on the fourth year of stay in the case of candidate-caregivers," Manalili said.

She added that before obtaining their qualification as full-fledged nurse in Japan, candidate-nurses shall work under the supervision of a Japanese Kangoshi to fully familiarize them with the Japanese system.

After passing the licensure or certification examinations, the fully qualified nurse and certified caregiver shall have the option to stay for an unlimited period in Japan to practice their profession based on new and upgraded employment contract with their employer.

The controversial JPEPA came into force last December after much debate on its constitutionality and provisions allowing the importation of trash. Aside from trade and investments, the treaty also had provisions for the hiring of Filipino nurses and caregivers to the traditionally closed society that is Japan.

JPEPA, together with the other treaties that Japan signed with other ASEAN member-countries, is evidence that the ageing country is now opening itself to foreign workers.

JPEPA conditions could lead to exploitation

By Lira Dalangin-Fernandez
Reporter, INQUIRER.net
Posted date: May 08, 2009

MANILA, Philippines—While he welcomed the job opportunity for the country’s health workers, Nueva Vizcaya Representative Carlos Padilla warned that the conditions set by the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA) on the hiring of Filipino nurses and caregivers could only lead to their exploitation.

Padilla, one of the lawmakers critical of the agreement when it was being drafted, said that the licensure examinations required of the nurses could prove to be difficult since it would be done through Niponggo, the Japanese language.

Under the accord, he said the nurses would not be employed automatically as nurses but as “candidate nurses” or “nursing aides” until they pass the licensure tests.

”They may learn to speak the language easily, but writing it is a different matter,” he told INQUIRER.net a phone interview Thursday.

The first batch of 92 nurses and 188 caregivers are due to leave for Japan Sunday to work in different institutions.

The health workers would be classified as candidate nurses and caregivers until they pass the licensure examination that would elevate them to the status of being full-fledged nurses and caregivers.

The first licensure examination for nurses is scheduled on February 2010 and would be held every year. Candidate caregivers, meanwhile, need at least three-years of work experience before they can take the national certification examination.

Under their contract, the health workers are eligible to work in Japan for three years and may work there continuously if they pass the examination.

Padilla said although the health workers are allowed to stay and work in Japan for three years even without passing the exam, they will receive salaries lower than their Japanese counterparts.

In a sense, he said this is “one way of legitimizing exploitation.”

”It’s an indirect way of exploiting them because we know they would be giving the same service but because they did not pass the exam, they would receive lower salaries. It’s sad because we know they are the most-skilled in the world,” he said.

The congressman called on Philippine officials to always be on watch of the conditions of the Filipino health workers to ensure their welfare is protected.

Have papers ready, mothers of Japanese-Filipino kids told

By Germelina Lacorte
Mindanao Bureau
Posted date: August 12, 2008

DAVAO CITY – A Japanese lawyer has urged the Filipino mothers of children of Japanese fathers to take advantage of a new law that would grant Japanese citizenship to the children.

Hironori Kondoh of Tokyo-based Japanese Filipino Children Lawyers Association told a roomful of Filipino women here the June 4 ruling of the Japan Supreme Court reversed the previous law which only granted nationality to Japanese-Filipino children whose parents were legally married.

“The Japanese Supreme Court has pronounced such ruling as unconstitutional,” said Kondoh, who was in the city last week for a forum with Japanese-Filipino children and their mothers. “It’s not the fault of the children if their parents are not married.”

“Children and mothers living in Davao can apply at the Japanese Embassy once the law takes effect,” he said.

He said applications must be filed before a child’s 20th birthday.

“Japanese-Filipino children from 16 to 19 years old [are urged] to prepare their documents as soon as possible,” Kondoh said.

The new law is expected to open the door to Japanese citizenship for tens of thousands of Japanese-Filipino children.

“All they want is recognition more than anything else,” said Sister Celine Cajandig, executive director of the Center for Overseas Workers Davao Inc. (Cowfi).

Jean Bingcoy, president of Samahan ng Kababaihan para sa Karapatan ng mga Japanese Filipino Children (Women’s Association for the Rights of Japanese Filipino Children), said her 11-year-old son was not recognized under the old law, although his father has been sending financial support occasionally.

“The new law can help a lot,” she said, “Parents do not need to get married to have the children recognized.”

She said that with the law, children abandoned by their Japanese fathers would be looking for a chance to go to Japan.

World-class RP seamen a force in Japan

goodnewspilipinas.com at inquirer.net
First Posted 16:16:00 03/04/2009

FILIPINO seamen are world-class and over 70 percent of Japanese maritime operations are now manned by Filipinos.

Toshitaka Hagiwara, senior advisor of Komatsu Ltd., said this rousing statement during the 28th joint meeting of the Japan-Philippines Economic Cooperation Committee.

Hagiwara is JPECC chairman. Komatsu Ltd., for which he serves as senior advisor, is a world leading manufacturer and distributor of construction and mining equipment, utilities and industrial machineries. The company has been operating in the Philippines for decades.

“Over 200,000 Filipino citizens now live in Japan. In addition, and this is not so widely known, Japanese maritime shipping operations now rely on Filipino sailors for about 70 percent of their crewmembers,” Hagiwara said.

“Almost all major Japanese shipping companies have opened maritime crew training facilities in the Philippines, expecting to develop ready access to highly qualified Filipino sailors from hereon,” Hagiwara said.

Under the JPEPA, Hagiwara said Japan also has widely opened its doors to Filipino nurses and caregivers.

Even before the ratification of JPEPA, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has likewise been acknowledging Japan’s trust and confidence on Filipino seamen, many of whom have become management level ship officers such as masters and chief engineers.

Filipino seamen comprise a major segment of the overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) sector and have consistently been a major source of dollar remittances that help prop up the country’s domestic economy for years now.

Doris Magsaysay-Ho, president and chief executive officer of Magsaysay Maritime Corporation, the largest manning company in the country, said there are over 28,000 Filipinos currently working on Japanese ships who remitted over more than $3 billion last year.

With more than 25 years of maritime partnership between Japan and the Philippines, Ho said Filipinos now comprise 55 percent of the membership of the All Japan Seaman’s Union and are classified as non-domiciled special members.

Japanese Protestants campaign vs JPEPA

By Aquiles Zonio
Mindanao Bureau, Inquirer.net
First Posted 18:57:00 01/24/2008

GENERAL SANTOS CITY, Philippines -- A group of Japanese Protestant preachers arrived here on Tuesday to campaign against the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA).

The Japanese group, led by Pastor Hidetoshi Watanabe, also met with militant groups and other sectors opposing the controversial trade agreement.

Militants have claimed the JPEPA will place the country at a disadvantage and transform it into a dumping ground for Japanese toxic wastes.

Watanabe said they are in solidarity with their local counterparts in opposing JPEPA.

Aside from campaigning for the rejection of JPEPA, Watanabe said his group also wants to know how the Filipino people are reacting to the treaty.

Maribel Sisneros, local coordinator of the women’s group Gabriela, told reporters they sought the help of UCCP (United Church of Christ in the Philippines) leaders in Japan to pressure Tokyo to scrap the pact.

"The ratification of JPEPA would put the country in a disadvantaged position," she said.

Watanabe said aside from campaigning against the controversial pact, his group will also visit some Japanese-funded projects.

He said that so far, they have already visited the General Santos Fish Port, which was finished through the help of the Japan International Cooperation Agency.